


and you hunger for the time

by missgoalie75



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Post-Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-19 14:15:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 37,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20317990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missgoalie75/pseuds/missgoalie75
Summary: after the battle of starcourt, steve figured the rest of the summer would involve not working, waiting for his busted ribs and face to heal, hanging out with robin and the party, and trying to ignore the panic he feels whenever he thinks about his future. All that does happen, but other unexpected things happen too.





	1. part i

**Author's Note:**

> **characters/pairings:** steve, robin, dustin, will, mike lucas, el, max, nancy, jonathan, kali, joyce; steve/kali, background jonathan/nancy, lucas/max, mike/el
> 
> **spoilers/warnings:** post-season 3; time-period homophobic language, scenes of a sexual nature.
> 
> **disclaimer:** standard disclaimers apply, song lyrics are accredited within the fic. title is from "a sort of homecoming" by u2.
> 
> **a/n:** i was tempted to title this 'steve has meaningful conversations with everyone even tho he's a dumbass.' and then as i was writing it, i was like, ‘is steve forever alone or can i change that...imma change that.’ this title is almost less of a mouthful. many thanks to annie for beta-ing and being supportive. y'all should thank her for convincing me to break this into parts because if you know me, i like to dump tens of thousands of words onto a single page.

Steve sleeps. That's the first thing he does. Well, he technically passes out in the back of the ambulance and then he's taken to the hospital, put on an IV, given a lot of painkillers, and then he really sleeps. Doctors and nurses and guys in military uniforms try to talk to him when he comes to every once in a while, but he doesn't really take anything in until two days later, when he wakes up to Dustin blowing air into his ear.

"You little shithead," Steve groans.

"Knew it would work!" Dustin says cheerfully.

Steve opens one eye since the other is still swollen shut and sees Dustin and Erica and Robin.

"They're only letting three of us be with you at a time. Will, Mike, Lucas, Max, El, Jonathan, Nancy, and Mrs. Byers are outside," Dustin explains.

Steve nods.

"How are you doing?" Robin asks. Her hand is on top of his. Her eyes are very, very blue.

"Been better."

"They won't tell us the damage, but you did get the shit beaten out of you the most," Erica adds.

"Y'think?"

Erica smirks and shrugs in response.

It seems that now he can hold a conversation, Scoops Troop is ushered out of the room and nurses ask him how he's feeling, if anything hurts. They tell him that he has three fractured ribs – nothing to do about that, they'll heal on their own – an _indirect orbital floor fracture_, which, in layman's terms means he's going to be sporting this black eye for a while and it's going to hurt for a while too. Oh, and a concussion, obviously. That was obvious. Whiplash - from the crash. A lot of bruising. A twisted ankle, but that's pretty minor in comparison to the rest.

They tell him that they wanted to reach his emergency contact – something he changed when he was eighteen from his dad to Hopper, but.

Yeah. Obviously couldn't. Can't.

Steve asks them to change it to Mrs. Byers for now.

They hope to discharge him tomorrow with a prescription for painkillers and a nasal spray that's supposed to stop him from sneezing so pressure isn't put on his eye socket and, as an added bonus, his healing ribs will thank him.

Steve shuts his eyes when he feels a headache develop behind the bridge of his nose. When he opens them, Robin is sitting by his bedside alone.

"Hey," she says.

"Hey."

"I'll be here first thing tomorrow. Do you, uh…do you need me to call anyone?"

Steve swallows. "My parents aren't coming back until the end of the month. No point."

He's come to really like watching Robin's face. Yeah, part of it is because she's really pretty and he likes her, whatever, but she's expressive in subtle ways. Like something pinches between her eyes and the corners of her mouth briefly point downward. She only says, "Okay."

Robin reaches out slowly and brushes his hair off his forehead. "Not looking your best, Harrington."

"I know. Soon you'll know my secret."

"I already know – Dustin told me."

"That little shit –"

She laughs. "I will say, your lack of qualms of using female products is refreshing. But the real question is – how did you discover it?"

"That's not scandalous - I ran out of the spray I was using before, I went to my parents' bathroom since I figured my mom would have some, and then the rest is history."

"Hm, yeah, that is boring."

He smiles at her. "Thank you."

She puts a hand over one of his feet and squeezes. "See you tomorrow."

He watches her go – she grins at him in the doorway before finally leaving. He looks up at the ceiling and breathes. His head is pounding and he has that damn Bryan Adams song that just came out a few weeks ago playing on loop. That's one good thing about no longer working at the mall – he doesn't have to hear the same songs over and over –

_Oh, when I look back now, that summer seemed to last forever –_

__He groans out loud. Great, just great.

(Although that's better than fucking "Amadeus." Worst. Song. _Ever_.)

**

He's woken up by military men, which. Isn't great, if he's being honest. They keep the lights off, which is nice since the hospital lighting does not help the constant headache he's sporting.

They buy his silence, basically. For a lot. So, he says yes because he doesn't have a job anymore and it would be nice to not work the rest of the summer, maybe. So, he signs their papers and they give him proof that money will be dumped into his bank account.

Besides, who the hell is going to believe any of the shit he saw over the last couple of years?

He also needs new tennis shoes. _Badly._

**

After they leave, he naps, and when he wakes up, the first thing he thinks of is: what the _hell_ is he going to wear. His work uniform was – hopefully, God, he really hopes so – thrown out after all the puke and blood and gunk that got on it after wearing it for days.

Thankfully, after being reviewed by the doctor and given his meds, Robin comes in with his basketball duffle. "Dustin packed it for you, so I can't speak to what's inside. He most likely picked a horrible outfit."

"I literally have nothing in my closet that, with any combination, would be horrible."

She snorts as he unzips the bag. He was, for once, actually, correct. There's his U2 _The Unforgettable Fire_ tour shirt, a pair of basketball shorts, his basketball shoes, matching socks, a pair of briefs.

Steve grins triumphantly. "He wouldn't hurt me like that."

"Did you go to that show?"

"What?" He looks down at the shirt. "Oh, yeah. Saw them in December."

"_Fuck_, you saw them at the Aragon? Jealous. I saw them in March at the UIC Pavilion. So good, right?"

"Yeah, loved it."

"Favorite track?"

"'Bad,'" they both say at the same time.

"Meant to be," Robin announces happily.

He nods as he takes off the hospital socks and puts on his own. "Where are the kids?"

"They're busy."

He stares at her. She stares back with no expression. He starts to smile.

"I _said_ they're busy."

"Okay, bummer. So, can you take me to the public pool? I'd love to float on a swim ring."

She scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Come on. I'm taking you home to _rest_."

"Uh huh."

**

Robin takes him home and he's welcomed by the kids. He makes sure to act surprised.

"Nancy and Jonathan wanted to come, but they're with my mom," Will says, looking down. "But Jonathan made you a cake!" They lead him to the kitchen where there's a chocolate frosted cake waiting to be cut into. 

"We would've gotten some USS Butterscotch to go with it, but…" Dustin trails off, making the rest of them snigger.

"I hate you." Steve turns to Will. "Thank Jonathan for me." He turns to the rest of them. "Who wants a piece?"

Everyone says "ME!" as loudly as they can like they're twelve. Except El, who smiles for a moment, and Max, who doesn't smile at all. He starts cutting pieces and once he sees the cake is vanilla, he has to make sure to really thank Jonathan for bridging the gap between what Steve likes and what the children like. He gives the first piece to Robin. She takes a bite and says, "Wow, he bakes well."

"Jonathan was the only one who cooked for a while," Will explains, grinning when he gets a plate.

Even though El hadn't said anything, Steve still cuts her a small piece. "If you don't finish, one of the boys will inhale it," he says quietly.

El smiles wide enough to show teeth.

"Um, it'll be _me_ inhaling it," Max says, putting an arm around El's shoulders.

The kids go into the living room and Robin stops Steve from joining them with a hand to his arm. "You don't like chocolate. I found that out after day _one_ of working together," she says.

He shrugs his shoulders. "The kids like it. I had it at my graduation party for them, so."

She shakes her head in disbelief. "Unbelievable."

"Look, I'm still gonna eat this because Jonathan is actually really good at baking and it shouldn't go to waste. I can give you extra frosting I don't want."

Except Robin isn't paying attention to him – she's looking into the distance. "We can split a black and white cookie straight down the middle and both be happy," she says in a dreamy tone.

He has to think about it for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, that's so true."

"Meant to be."

"Definitely."

They high-five each other and go join the party in his living room.

Steve is given an update over the last couple of days. The government also talked to them about keeping their mouths shut, they'll be keeping an eye out, etc. Creepy stuff. Max says there will be a funeral for her brother tomorrow. Hopper's funeral will be the day after. There will be a lot of funerals over the next couple of weeks.

Steve, honestly, did not like Billy Hargrove and he's not exactly upset about him being dead. Because of Billy nearly killing him last fall, Steve had to give up his starting spot on the basketball team in the winter and he missed part of the season - his last season. He knows it must be complicated for Max, who knows what a shitbag her brother was, but he was still family; some part of her still cared. So, he digs out his suit from the back of his closet and steals one of his dad's ties.

Since Billy was well loved by a significant half of Hawkins, the funeral is public and most of the women in attendance are crying. Max has no emotion on her face. Neither do the others in the party.

They all try to squeeze in his car, only doable with kids sitting on each other's laps in the backseat, even though Robin does offer her own lap, but she's still new. As soon as the doors shut and they get going to Max's house for the wake, Max says, "He was an asshole. He hurt me a lot. And he was racist."

They were quiet already, but the silence is unbearable after the confession.

Steve checks the rearview mirror. Lucas is nodding under her. 

"He scared me," Dustin admits quietly. Mike, Lucas, Will, and El murmur in agreement.

Steve swallows over the lump in his throat. Last year, Steve thought Billy would kill him.  
Billy scared Steve too, made him nervous in a way he hadn't felt before, but he can't pinpoint where the discomfort stemmed from.

"He was a bully," Steve says and leaves it at that.

It's quiet again.

"My step-dad treated him horribly," Max says. "Whatever my step-dad said to Billy, Billy would say it to me. Or us."

Will shudders and Steve vaguely remembers Jonathan hinting at his piece of shit father. Learning how to punch.

"I felt bad. Sometimes. A lot. But he was just…so bad and scary and _awful_ that I wished he'd go away for good." Max inhales shakily. "Guess I got my wish."

Steve rubs his jaw and sighs. Guess he did too.

**

People come by Max's house to give food and flowers and cards. The kids are outside, avoiding the adults and Steve ends up sitting in the upstairs bathroom in the dark because his head is killing him and he feels nauseous.

There's a knock on the door.

"Hey, it's me."

Steve reaches over and barely is able to open the door to let Robin in. 

"Hey, are you okay? Are you sick?" she asks, shutting the door behind her.

"No, I just want to take my head off my neck and throw in the garbage."

She frowns. "Let me drive you home."

"I can't, I have to take Lucas and Dustin home –"

"I'll take them home. You look ill. You know you just got out of the hospital, like a day ago. You need to give your body a break."

He sighs, reaching into his pocket for his keys to drop in her open palm. "Alright. Thanks."

"Just go out to your car and I'll say goodbye to your children, okay?"

He does as he's instructed. He shuts his eyes in the passenger seat, even when Robin gets in the car and starts driving.

She coasts to a smooth stop and turns off the ignition. He opens his eyes and opens his door, but she doesn't do the same.

"Billy was an asshole," Robin starts, looking ahead, her hands gripping the wheel. She swallows, opens her mouth, closes it. Eventually, she spits out, "But I liked when he harassed you."

She sniffs and looks up, her eyes watery.

"I thought we established I was a dick," Steve says with a wince.

"Still, he was a fucking bully, you were right. He bullied his sister, her friends, and you –"

"I'm a big boy, I handled it."

She shakes her head. "Not the point, dingus."

He sighs. "Yeah, he was, well. Awful. But, I'm good. I mean, he did give me a gnarly scar here," he says, pushing up most of his hair to reveal a scar. "Broke a plate over my head."

"_Jesus_."

He didn't intend to horrify her more, shit. "I, uh –"

"I'm glad he's dead," she blurts. Then nods. "I'm glad he's dead."

He stares at her. She's breathing heavily and maybe he is too, a little. "Yeah," he agrees, a little hoarse.

God forgive them.

She bites her bottom lip. "Are you sure I should go to Chief Hopper's funeral? I didn't know him and I shouldn't impose."

He gets it, he does. "If you're really uncomfortable, then obviously I won't force you. I just…Hopper's gone, and it's not really about him – he's not here, right? I mean, not _physically_ – I don't know what you believe in terms of heaven or what," Steve rambles a little off-topic, but concludes with, "it's about who's left. Us appreciating him, how his life impacted the rest of us still here. We're supporting each other and you coming would be supporting Dustin and me, so. You're welcome."

Robin smiles a little in disbelief before it drops. "Really?"

"Yeah. Please."

She nods. "Okay. I'll pick you up. Bring your car back tomorrow."

He nods and steps out of the car, stumbling a bit.

"Get some sleep, dingus!" she calls out as he's walking to the front door.

He flips her off and waves.

**

Steve only takes off his suit jacket and his shoes before passing out in his bed. He wakes up at midnight, eight hours later.

"_Fuck_," he groans. His sleep schedule is going to be royally fucked.

He sits up, rubs his good eye and looks around his room. He scares himself when he sees an indistinguishable blob on the floor until he realizes it's just a sweatshirt. He turns on all the lights and tries to get his breathing in order.

Since there's nothing open because this is a small ass town, he goes into the kitchen and makes eggs. That's the only thing he's really good at, cooking-wise, besides sandwiches. He should probably have Jonathan teach him or something since Steve has been fending for himself more often than not over the past few months, but that's for another day.

Maybe. It's not like he's been hanging out with Jonathan and Nancy over the last few months. Sometimes he did – it was inevitable running into each other with Nancy's little brother and Jonathan's little brother being best friends and Steve ending up watching them. But there's this level of awkwardness that never really went away, even when his feelings for Nancy faded.

He sits down at the dining room table with his eggs and toast. After a few bites, he can't stand the silence, so he goes over to the stereo and flips through the cassette tapes on it. His parents have awful taste for the most part, but they do agree on Elton John, so he puts in _Goodbye Yellow Brick Road_ to fill the quiet.

He was told not to watch television or read (the former is a problem, the latter is not) for a few days, so he's left listening to music, figuring which lyrics relate to his life:

_And love lies bleeding in my head, oh it kills me to think of you with another man_ – not currently, but previously, definitely.

_Born and raised a proper, I guess life just bugged him, and he found faith in danger, a lifestyle he lived by_ – well. Yeah.

_Saturday night's alright for fighting, get a little action in_ – hell yeah.

Once that album is done, he switches to _Madman Across the Water_ and when that's done, he goes upstairs to his room and plays _Honky Chateau _and there's something about "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" that has him trying not to cry a little. It's the stress or the exhaustion – he did go a while without sleep and he's pretty injured. 

Then comes _Don't Shoot Me (I'm Only the Piano Player) _and he eventually, finally, falls asleep to _17-11-70_ (that one was only, always in Steve's collection – it's probably his favorite album and of course his dad hates it).

**

He's shaken awake by Dustin and Robin.

He checks the clock on his nightstand and curses. His suit pants are wrinkled to hell, so Dustin throws a pair of slacks and another button up shirt and tells him he's fine, Hopper wouldn't have cared for anyone to be dressed up anyway.

Probably not.

Steve drops Robin off at her house so she can borrow her dad's car. Steve takes Dustin and Lucas and Max. Robin takes Mike and expects to have El and Will in her car later that day.

The funeral is, well, _supposed_ to be a private, closed gathering since nobody really knew Hopper well save for the police department, Mrs. Byers, El, the rest of the kids…and instead there's the entire town trying to enter the gravesite.

Robin's arm is looped through his and he tries not to cry, but everyone else is, so he lets it happen. He brings Dustin in for a hug, not letting him go until it's over. Since there's no body to bury, there's just a gravestone. 'James Hopper: Loving father and friend.'

Now that it's over, now that he thinks about it – this is his first funeral for someone he knew and liked. At least, one that he remembers.

They all go to the police precinct that's filled with food and baked goods that Jonathan, apparently, has been stress making for a couple of days with (hopefully) very little of Nancy's help.

"This is really good," Steve compliments Jonathan with a mouthful of macaroni and cheese. "The Ritz cracker topping is a nice touch."

"Thanks," Jonathan says. His eyes are red.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help –"

"No, don't apologize – you were in the hospital!"

"Yeah, but –"

"Really, it's okay. This was the least I could do."

Steve opens his mouth to reprimand to stop selling himself short or something like that, but Dustin pulls him by the back of his shirt, causing him to nearly stumble back.

"Geez, kid, watch it!"

"We're getting El's stuff from Hopper's house. We need a ride," Dustin states.

Steve looks over at El, whose face is dry, but her eyes are watery and her cheeks are blotchy. "You sure?" he asks her.

She nods once.

"I can't really do much lifting," he reminds them, putting a hand to his ribs for emphasis.

"You're just the chauffeur, dumbass."

Steve rolls his eyes at Dustin. "Okay. Y'sure you want to leave?" he asks them, but he really focuses on El.

"I don't want to be here," she admits quietly.

Steve nods towards the door and everyone rushes to exit. Robin is behind them and Steve touches Mrs. Byers' arm to get her attention.

"I'm taking the kids to Hopper's. They want to help El move her stuff."

Mrs. Byers nods. She looks tired and upset, but manages to faintly smile. "Okay, thank you, Steve."

"Call if you need anything."

"I think you've got it handled." Mrs. Byers smiles a little wider and brings a hand to Steve's face, lightly cupping his cheek. "I trust you."

Steve swallows over the lump in his throat. "I'm really sorry, Mrs. Byers."

Her smile wobbles a little. "Thank you." She lowers her hand. "You can call me Joyce. And I'll be sure to save you some food to take home."

"Oh, that's not – that's okay –"

"Your parents are still away, right? You shouldn't have to worry about feeding yourself. Besides, this is way too much for my house, even with two teenage boys."

Not wanting to argue further, he says thank you and leaves.

**

It's eerie, being here without Hopper. It's like they're breaking in, even though the house is in shambles. Steve gives them the space to make their way to El's room. El has Mike on one side of her, Max is on the other, almost holding her up. Robin stands by him.

"She's been through so much before this. It's so unfair," Robin says quietly.

He can only nod.

"We should've brought boxes or something."

Probably.

He can hear El crying.

He pushes himself off the door and goes toward El's room, knocking against the door frame. It seems like El was in the process of stripping her bed, but she's now on the floor, crying into her blanket. Max is rubbing her back and resting her head against El's. Mike had been trying to help her, but he's gripping El's sheets, fighting back tears. The rest of the boys are standing awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

He wordlessly gets Dustin's attention and gestures for him, Lucas, and Will to leave El's room, which they do quickly and quietly.

"El," Steve says gently. "You don't have to do this right now. You can take your time. We'll help you if you want to do it now, tomorrow, in a month, in three months. There's no rush."

He looks to Mike, who nods in agreement. "Yeah, El. And if it's too hard to come back, we can get things for you. Right, Max?"

"Of course," she says at once, pulling back.

El eventually stops crying and lifts her face from her blankets. "I don't want to go back there," she says.

"We don't have to go back there. We can go wherever you want." Steve puts his hands on his hips and looks out through her bedroom door. He can through a window in the living room into the driveway. "How about Weathertop?"

She furrows her brow in confusion. "Weathertop?" she repeats.

"You know, that giant ass hill outside of town."

Everyone, including El, turns to Dustin, who turns bright red.

"_Turn around, look at what you see_…" Mike, Will, Lucas, and Max start singing at once.

"You suck!"

It breaks the tension and they all load up in the cars. Steve has Dustin, Will, and Lucas and they force him to turn on the radio. They all scream to "Take On Me" and a couple of Wham! songs, even though Steve could do without pretty much all of them. 

Once they make it to the foot of the hill, the kids start rushing up to the top while Steve and Robin keep their distance, going slowly.

"I need to sit down," Steve says, unceremoniously plopping to the ground. 

"Are you okay?" she asks out of concern, sitting down with him.

"Yeah, just don't want my body to hate me later."

"Okay. Let me know if your head hurts."

He hums and lies back against the grass. He shuts his eyes.

"Steve?"

He groggily opens his eyes - did he nap? "Yeah?"

He catches Will rushing down the hill.

"Time to go."

Eventually, the kids come down the hill, complaining that they're hungry, so Robin and Steve drop them off one at a time. . 

El still isn't better - Steve doesn't know how you even recover from loss after loss - but he's surprised when she reaches for him and hugs him tightly.

He refrains from kissing the top of her head, but the instinct is there.

**

Once they're kid free, Robin asks if they want to actually see _Back to the Future_ sober. They have to drive to the next town and they end up missing the seven o'clock showing, so they go to a nearby Italian restaurant and pretend to be a couple on their one year anniversary so they can potentially score free dessert.

(He promptly ignores the skipping his heart does when they hold hands when the waitress passes by.)

Steve thinks he _kind of_ gets why it's called _Back to the Future_, but if he thinks too long about time travel and how changing the past could change the future it makes his head ache. Or it could be the fact that he totally went against the doctor's orders and watched a movie. But whatever.

"I would go for Michael J. Fox," Robin says after the movie when they're getting into her car.

Steve's eyes bug out of his head. "But -"

"Totally would," she continues with a conspiratoring smile. 

"He's cool," he strangles out.

"Threatened?"

"A little. If he's changing your preferences," he responds in a low voice just in case.

She snorts. "You have to have one." She backs out of the parking spot and starts driving.

"Have one what?"

"There's gotta be some guy that you'd turn gay for."

He leans back in his seat, thinking. He almost asks her about qualifications - is it by objective attractiveness? He can admit if a fellow guy is good looking, or does there have to be some other qualifier? After a few seconds, Robin says, nervous, "I'm sorry. I don't mean - you don't -"

"Don Johnson."

She stops talking. "_Miami Vice_?"

"Yeah. He's cool. And objectively good looking. Maybe him," he explains with a shrug.

She smiles at him. "You're right on both counts."

"I'm definitely digging up my Ray Bans - gotta wear those again."

"You're no Tom Cruise."

"No, but I can take on Michael J. Fox."

She laughs. "Maybe."

**

By the time Steve is dropped off at home, it's almost midnight and he thinks he can get back to a normal sleep schedule, _finally_.

**

...He stares at his bedside clock, watching the hour change to two in the morning. He shouldn't have napped so much during the day.

His eyes slide to the walkie talkie and it's still on. He'll probably need to change the batteries soon since he's been having it on every night, just in case. He startles when he hears a faint, "_hello? Is anyone awake?_"

Steve keeps it on, but the volume is low, so he has to raise the volume before he responds, "Hello? This is Steve, over."

"_Hi Steve, it's Will, over._"

"Hey, you okay?"

Silence. Steve thinks he hears Will sniffle.

Steve thinks about offering to go on another channel for the illusion of privacy, but Steve is awake and sometimes it's just better to be near people. "I can come over," Steve offers.

"_Okay._"

"Okay. Over and out."

Steve puts on his tennis shoes and takes the walkie talkie, turning it to full volume, just in case.

**

Steve parks along the street since he doesn't want to wake up anyone else in the house. Especially El. As he walks up the driveway, he sees Will's head peak between curtains. He gestures to go toward the back of the house, so that's what Steve does.

"Hey," Steve whispers when he sees Will sitting on the back patio.

"Hey."

Steve takes a seat and offers Will his leftover Red Vines from the movies. Will takes one.

"What's up?" Steve asks.

Will doesn't answer. Steve looks behind him at the Byers' house. He was told that Will and Jonathan are currently sharing a room, which Steve knows won't last. 

(He's seen Nancy's car in the Byers' driveway more than a handful of times on late nights and early mornings.)

"Did you get kicked out of your room? Because you can stay at my house for the night, if you want," Steve offers.

"No. I didn't get kicked out."

"Okay, good."

"Robin said that I could tell you anything. That you wouldn't judge."

He blinks in surprise. "When did you talk to Robin?"

"Today. Or, yesterday, technically. You were sleeping."

"Oh. Yeah, I mean, that's me. Nonjudgmental. Well, I'd maybe judge if you weren't a Pacers fan, but everyone has their faults. That's a really bad fault though."

Will smiles a little. "I like the Pacers."

"Then we're solid."

Steve is going to chew Robin out for not giving him a heads up on whatever Will is struggling to say. 

"What if -" Will starts, then stops immediately. "What if you don't like girls but all your friends do?"

Steve snorts. "Trust me, kid, there's _plenty_ of time for you to get there if you think girls are still weird. They are, really. Totally different from us. Mostly better, I'll admit that -"

"That's not - what if you don't like girls but...you may like a boy. I don't know. Maybe."

Oh. _Oh._

Will is terrified, like, almost akin to dealing with the demogorgon, which is really messed up considering that was life and death. But maybe it feels that way, especially in Hawkins, Indiana.

"That's still okay," Steve is quick to say, realizing he's taking too long to respond. "I mean, I know for a fact that you're definitely not alone, so. You're not...alone."

Will stares at him in disbelief. "Yeah, _out there_. Outside of _here_. People getting the gay plague -"

"AIDS," Steve corrects him, remembering Robin reading the paper during a break over a week ago, ranting about how Reagan _still_ hasn't called it by its proper name.

"Whatever," Will mutters.

Steve exhales. "Okay. What I'm _trying_ to say and doing a piss poor job - I'm blaming it on the fact that it's almost three in the morning - is that there's nothing wrong, or broken, or any other bad thing you're considering. It just…" he shrugs, "is what it is. Like you have brown hair and brown hair. And skin that burns in like, two minutes when you're in the sun."

Steve was hoping for a laugh, but Will just quickly wipes his eyes before hiding his face into his knees. He's holding onto his legs tightly.

"Also, it shouldn't be called that. Gay plague. Other people are getting it too - like, people with blood issues and shit. Hemo...globin? I don't really know the specifics. But I know Robin is more with current events. She'd definitely say it's some government conspiracy, and after all we've seen, I tend to believe that over some hateful people talking shit."

Steve can see Will finally smile.

"Can I ask who the guy is?" Steve asks. "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want, I -"

Will hides his face fully again. "Mike."

"Oh."

"Yeah. _Oh_." Will lifts his head up and stares up at the sky. 

Steve follows Will's gaze. "Screwed from the get-go, right? He's been in love with El since the moment he saw her."

"How are you supposed to get over it?"

Steve smiles bitterly. "Time. It's a shit answer, I'm sorry. There's no off switch."

Will groans and drops his head back on his knees.

Steve reaches over and muses his hair. "It'll happen, though. I promise."

Will rolls his head over to look at him, head still resting on his knees. "You don't like Nancy anymore?"

He wants to correct him and say he _loved_ her - that wasn't a crush, they were in a relationship, and he didn't _get_ her trauma, or they weren't on the same page when it came to the horrors they experienced and - 

Will's brother. That didn't help.

"Well, I still _like_ her, we're friends, but no. Not like that," Steve answers.

He doesn't know if it's comforting, or if he's coming across as sure enough that it gives Will some hope, but at least Will eventually stops crying.

"Want to hang at my pool today? You and your friends, I mean. It's gonna be hot."

"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks. And...thanks. And -"

"I won't. I promise. I got tortured by Russians, so I know I can handle anything."

Will smiles brightly, which Steve will take as a win.

**

Steve leaves Will's house soon after that. He zones out and misses his turn, so he goes the long route home, passing by Dustin's house and Robin's. He notices that Robin's bedroom light is still on, so he parks his car in the street and picks up the walkie talkie, turning it to the channel she is usually on.

"Hey, I'm outside your house, over."

He watches her bedroom window, the blinds raising and her head peeking up.

"_You're such a creep, over._"

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

"_Yeah, I'll come to you._"

A few minutes later, Robin is coming up the driveway wearing a pair of Steve's basketball shorts and a David Bowie shirt.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" she asks. Her eyes are red.

"I can ask the same." He frowns. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just reading this depressing dystopian book. Can't put it down."

"Really? You didn't want to read something happy?"

"It was the new Margaret Atwood, my cousin in Canada mailed me a copy since it's not out yet in the US. She's one of my favorite writers," she scoffs.

"Okay, okay." Steve has no idea who the hell Margaret Atwood is.

"So why are _you_ up?"

He temporarily turns off the walkie talkie before saying, "I was at the Byers' house. Will said that _you_ inspired him to talk to me." He gives her a pointed look. "You suspected something," he surmises.

She nods. "Yeah. I did. So, he told you?"

"Yes, but what I want to know is why you wanted him to tell me when I think he would've appreciated talking with someone who was in the same boat as him."

She swallows and looks down at her hands, picking off nailpolish. "I'm still scared out of my mind about telling other people," she admits. "I was really torn. I thought about it - how I'd say it, the words were right there, but I chickened out. And I figured...he's been through so much shit and if anyone deserves to have a good reaction to coming out, it should be him. And I know if he told you, he'd get that. Sorry I didn't warn you, I just figured you didn't need it. And I mean that in the best possible way." She looks up at him and her eyes are teary. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, he's okay. When I left he finally seemed tired, so. I invited him and the rest of the gang to my house to use the pool later. You're welcome to come, obviously. To see."

She nods. "Yeah. Okay. Might be later in the day. I need to finish this book and then pass out."

He smiles. "Okay."

She smiles back. "I'll see you later. And I'm making you read this book."

"...Why?"

"Because you need to get close to my level of being an angry feminist."

"Is the anger necessary?"

She stares him down and reaches out to grab his chin so he can't move his head. "Abso-_fucking_-lutely." She leans in and kisses his forehead and gets out of his car.

He shakes his head and snorts, starting the car to head home to sleep.

**

Kids start pounding on his door at ten in the morning and he lets them in, threatens them if they drown, he's going to kill them, then goes back upstairs to sleep until one, when he joins them downstairs.

Robin is a saint and comes by with KFC and slushies.

"You are amazing, incredible, wonderful…" Steve rambles, taking a cherry slushie and a biscuit.

"You owe me money," she reminds him.

"You will get your money as soon as I suck down this nectar -"

"You are disgusting and I hate you."

He sticks his tongue out and takes a seat on the edge of the pool, sighing when his feet are submerged in the water. 

She leaves the book with him - _The Handmaid's Tale_ \- and tells him not to ruin it, but if he has questions, she's more than happy to answer them. 

He's not a big reader, but she's really excited and she clearly wants to share it with him, so he doesn't make a fuss about it. Besides, it may just help with his annoying insomnia.

Max hasn't gone in the water yet, so it's obviously her time of the month since she's usually the first one in and the last one out. She's grumpy on a chair, holding a bright yellow umbrella to hide from the sun and he offers for her to come inside and steal his mom's heating pad which she at first denies, but then twenty minutes later, she goes inside and doesn't come out.

Steve harrasses everyone into reapplying sunscreen, especially Will and Mike who are by far the palest of the group. Dustin has officially reached a level of tan that he can probably get away without reapplying, but he can't have one person not doing it - he'd have a mutiny on his hands.

"I'm _black_," Lucas repeats for the hundredth time this summer. 

"I know you didn't get that from your mother since she told me that you can still burn, so, again, that won't work on me! Rub it in! Now everyone turn around so I can do backs!"

In the late afternoon, Nancy and Jonathan come by the house to collect the children. Nancy, surprisingly, runs towards the pool and jumps in with her clothes. "I'm so hot!" she complains once she resurfaces.

Jonathan shakes his head and pushes back his sweaty bangs.

"You gonna join her?" Steve questions.

"And ruin the car? I think it's the one thing her dad is passionate about," Jonathan responds.

Steve snorts. "You can borrow towels if you want."

"Maybe for her since I don't think she's thinking how chlorine is going to get into the fabric of the seat."

Steve swipes his towel from a chair and hands it to Jonathan.

"Thanks." He hugs the towel close to his chest. "Hey, you know how this weekend is Live Aid?" he asks suddenly.

"What - oh, right. That benefit concert. Yeah, Saturday, right?"

"Yeah - do you still have that stereo TV? MTV is streaming the show, but it's only in stereo and -"

"You want to watch it here?"

"If it's not - if we're not imposing -" Jonathan stutters.

"No, it's cool. When does it start?"

"Seven in the morning. It's supposed to start with London bands then switch to Philadelphia then I guess they'll show recordings for overlapped performances. It's going to be amazing."

Robin sneakily joins them. "Live Aid?"

"Party at my place. Seven sharp."

Her eyes bug out. "You have a stereo TV? _Yes_!"

"We'll bring refreshments," Nancy adds from the pool. "Thank you, Steve."

"No problem. And you know, you guys are welcome to use the pool too," Steve tells her and Jonathan.

"Thanks. We will," Nancy says with a smile.

Once they leave and it's just him and Robin, she says, "Did they really just ask to use your TV for almost an entire day and you guys haven't really hung out in months?"

"Basically. Live Aid does sound epic, though."

"True. It will be. But for the record, that's shitty."

He shrugs. "Maybe it'll help."

As much as he loves those kids, it's been nice being friends with Robin and he'd probably only benefit from having friendships with people his own age. 

"Obviously you're invited," he says.

"Duh, dingus."

He makes a face at her.

"There's a community theater production of _West Side Story_ tonight if you're interested."

He thinks about it. "The Natalie Wood movie?"

She sighs. "Based on the Broadway show."

"Oh. Yeah, sure."

**

Steve saw _West Side Story_ as a kid and only a few things stuck, like the leather jackets and Natalie Wood being really pretty, so he goes into it like he never saw it before.

And you know what? It's pretty damn good.

"See? Drama isn't just for losers," Robin teases him when they leave the auditorium.

"Okay, okay, I judged harshly."

"Unnecessarily."

"That too." He nods back to the auditorium. "Are you going to be doing that? Community theater?"

She shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe? I liked drama enough, but it was really about the people. And I was only ever in the chorus. Granted, I had as many costume changes as a lead, but still in the background."

"Still important, right? You can only have so many solos in a show. It's like sports - you can have your high scorers, but you need the support of the team to get you there. You can't play alone."

She raises an eyebrow at him, but smiles. "Fair point, Harrington. Fair point." She shrugs again. "Let's just get through the rest of the summer first."

"I can help you run lines."

Robin laughs most of the way home, but he's serious, which she gets since she kisses his cheek when they part ways.

It's getting better, he tells himself. Easier. As he told Will, it just takes a little time.

**

Steve is officially off in terms of his sleeping schedule. He takes one of his mom's sleeping pills so he can fall asleep at a reasonable hour and wake up in time to let Nancy, Jonathan, and Robin into the house in time for the show.

They sleepily watch the beginning bands, immediately get annoyed with the commercial breaks and interviews that interrupt sets.

"Why does Elvis Costello only get one song?" Jonathan comments tiredly. "And it's not even one of his own."

"I can't believe they interrupted Run DMC's set for _Sting_. Racists," Robin grumbles.

"You don't like Sting?" Nancy gasps.

"‘Roxanne' is so good," Steve adds, shaking his head at Robin.

And then when Phil Collins comes on, Jonathan groans. Nancy hits him in the chest.

"Bad opinion," Robin says.

"_You_ like Phil Collins?" Steve asks, surprised.

"He has a nice voice and writes excellent ballads," Robin says defensively.

Steve and Jonathan share a look and bite back laughs.

(Although they all love "Every Breath You Take," so there's that.)

**

The kids come over during Crosby, Stills and Nash and there's an immediate uproar from Will and Jonathan when it cuts to a commercial during some song called ‘Judy Blue Eyes,' which nobody else seems to know or care about.

What everyone cares about is U2 coming on stage, the room silent enough save for whispered singing to ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday.' Robin and Steve lean against each other to ‘Bad' and Jonathan, the biggest music snob Steve knows, even admits it's a spectacular set.

Only to be topped by Queen, except in the middle of Queen's set, it cuts to a commercial. 

"What the _fuck_?!" Robin screeches. "That was the best fucking set of the whole show and we get a _commercial_?! Fuck MTV!"

"I don't even care for Queen and that was incredible," Jonathan says.

"You bite your tongue," Nancy and Robin retort at the same time.

The feed keeps getting cut during The Who set, which Steve is pissed about since that's one of his favorite bands. The kids have left the living room at one point to play D&D.

But the worst - the absolute _worst_ \- is Led Zeppelin.

They all collectively wince when Robert Plant sings the first lyric to "Rock and Roll."

"Wow," Jonathan says, breaking the silence. He looks like he's in pain.

"Is it just me, or is he…getting worse?" Nancy asks.

"He's getting worse," everyone - including the kids - responds simultaneously.

"This is really _bad_," Steve says. "Did Page forget how to play the guitar?"

"I think it's just drugs," Robin says.

"This is disappointing," Will says at the end of the song. "And they're going to ruin 'Stairway to Heaven' too."

"It's beyond disappointing. It's an affront to my ears," Dustin complains.

"_No_, not 'Whole Lotta Love,'" Nancy laments.

"I'm getting a pop – anyone want anything?" Steve asks.

"Something to stick in my ears? Maybe spoons would be less painful?"

Steve ignores Dustin. "Anything _else_?"

Everyone starts calling out different drink orders at the same time. Jonathan gets to his feet. "I'll help you, I can't watch this anymore, it's ruining the band for me."

"You know Phil Collins is going to get the heat for this," Jonathan points out while Steve is pulling out three Cokes from the fridge.

"Come on. He's hardly the worst person on that stage."

"I think he was playing a Genesis song during one point of 'Whole Lotta Love.'"

"Well. At least he'll always have 'In the Air Tonight.'"

"Great song," Jonathan admits.

Steve grins. "Totally."

**

Steve is happy that he gets to hear "Layla," even though he associates that song and that album with Nancy a little bit. It is, like, the ultimate heartache album, right?

Overall, it's a long show, to the point where Steve would leave the room to do anything else - like sleep - until someone screamed at him about artists he cared about seeing - Tom Petty, Elton John, Prince, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan.

At the end of the broadcast, Nancy, Robin, and Steve load up the sleepy children into their cars and drive them home.

When Steve enters his house again, the silence is loud and the emptiness is unbearable.

So, he just...gets back in his car.

And drives.

He passes through Hawkins and ends up on Route 231 and then heading west on I-74, going, going.

Steve keeps driving, through flat fields and the stars are bright and he can't stop playing the same album over and over and he thinks he can drive through the Midwest, through the Rocky Mountains and reach the ocean. Steve's only seen the ocean twice and it's terrifying, exciting.

He doesn't know when he starts crying, but it comes to a point that he needs to pull over and put his car in park. It's body-wracking, rib-hurting sobs and he can't stop, screams ripping from his throat. 

He throws his head back against the seat and forces himself to breathe evenly, a sob escaping every few breaths. It takes a few minutes, but soon he stops crying and all that's left is a stuffy nose and a minor headache. 

He's tired. His hands shake on the steering wheel. He's terrified of the future past August. He feels alone, still, even though he has Robin and the kids and sometimes Jonathan and Nancy. It's stupid. He has nightmares. He's worried that the scar below his lip won't go away. 

Eventually, he turns around and heads back to Hawkins. The sky is brightening at five in the morning and he slows to a stop in front of the "Welcome to Hawkins!" sign and stares at it.

He hadn't really thought about it. How _small_ Hawkins is – how it feels like he's trapped.

He's not ready to go back.

So, he starts _The Unforgettable Fire_ from the beginning, gets out of his car, climbs to the top, and lies down. 

He's halfway through "Pride (In the Name of Love)" when he hears a van driving up behind him. He hopes they won't bother him, but he's mistaken when it comes up to his left, coasting to a stop.

"Are you okay?"

He furrows his brow at the unexpected accent and rolls his head to look over at the van. Someone his age, maybe, dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes. She clearly thinks he's crazy.

"Nope, but I'm fine. I'm in no need of assistance," he reassures her, looking away from her and back at the sky.

He thinks he hears her mutter, "small town weirdos" under her breath. 

"Well, you can help me, then. I'm looking for someone. She's family."

Hawkins is not only a small town, it's also a very white town, so he's curious. "Who?"

"Her name is Jane."

He looks at her with a narrowed gaze. "Got a last name?"

She runs her teeth over her bottom lip, her gaze never wavering. "I'm guessing Hopper. But I know she also likes to call herself El."

He sits up slowly and brings his legs around so he can jump off of the car, heading towards the passenger side of her truck. He thinks he knows who this is, but he needs to make sure.

"Can I see your wrist?" He taps the inside of his left.

She smirks at him and rolls the sleeve up, sticking her arm out so he can see the tattooed ‘008.'

"Nice to meet you, Kali."

"And who are you? How do you know Jane?"

"She prefers to be called El, just so you know. And I'm...a friend. Babysitter. I don't know anymore. I look out for her and her friends."

She glances back at his car, then at him. "Is this part of the job description?"

"Definitely not. My sleep schedule has been out of whack since -"

"What happened. At your mall. I heard about it. That's why I'm here. To see how Jane - El, is doing."

There's more to it, probably, but Steve only knows about Kali thirdhand through Dustin, who was told by Mike, who was told by El. All he knows is that El was not the only one with powers, she met Kali in Chicago, and they parted ways. Obviously, the parting ways bit has more to it, but it's not his business.

Although, seeing Kali totally explains why El looked like a punk the first time he ever saw her.

(He thinks about bringing up the fact that El's powers haven't come back yet, but Steve only knows about that because he overheard Mike whispering to Max.)

Kali nods at him. "You were there?" she asks.

He furrows his brow in confusion, but then brings a hand to his healing scar below his lip and he remembers his black eye. "Uh yeah. Courtesy of the Russian government, but I'm not supposed to talk about that."

She raises an eyebrow and it makes him feel self-conscious and stupid, so he clears his throat and says, "El's currently staying with the Byers family. I can lead you there, although it's a little bit early…"

"There was very little traffic. I got here earlier than planned."

He nods. "Well, if you want, you can come to my house. Freshen up or whatever. Sleep."

"I don't even know your name," she points out.

"Oh, sorry, it's Steve," he stutters.

"Steve. Your parents won't mind?"

"They're hundreds of miles away for the foreseeable future, so no."

She raises an eyebrow and shrugs. "Okay. Do you know what I can do?"

"Something about making people see things that aren't there."

"And not see things that are."

That is very terrifying and she is definitely amused by his fear. "Well, that's cool. Follow me, then," he says in a higher-pitched voice than intended.

He gets into his car and blinks a few times before starting it.

There's a more direct way to get to his house, but he goes a different way so he can point out the Byers' house. He sees her nod in his rearview window.

A few minutes later, he pulls into his driveway and she parks beside him. 

"Nice house," she comments when he unlocks the front door.

He hums noncommittally and takes care to lock the door behind her.

"Kitchen is over there, guest room is up the stairs, follow me…" He walks up the stairs and points to the first room on the right. "Guest room. Bathroom is the door right next to it. Last room on the right is mine." He goes to the linen closet that's across from the bathroom and takes out a towel and washcloth and gives them to Kali. "Now, I plan on sleeping until at least noon, so I will not be available until then. There is leftover takeout in the fridge, but I'd double check before consuming anything. Any questions?"

She's trying hard not to smile. "I think you're more like a mum than a babysitter."

"You should see me with a kitchen towel over my shoulder. Completes it."

"Well, thank you. I appreciate it."

He runs a hand through his hair. "You're welcome. Uh...g'night. Or...ah, whatever." He goes into his room and shuts the door with a long exhale.

He falls asleep quickly and deeply before he can think about how insane his life is.

**

Steve wakes up slowly to the birds chirping, the sun shining, and Dustin sitting on the edge of his goddamn bed like a creep.

"How did you get in?" Steve whines.

"I have a spare key that _you_ gave me, asshole. I was told to wake you up if you slept in past one. It's now _half_ past one."

Steve presses his face against his pillow and groans.

"You need to get your sleep schedule back in order."

"I'm unemployed with no responsibilities other than making sure nobody gets sunburned badly. I'm living my best life."

Dustin scoffs. "Come on, get _up_. Mike is all mopey because El is with her sister, which, what were you doing at the crack of dawn anyway? And we need reinforcements."

Steve flips onto his back. "_Fine._"

**

Kali left her van in the driveway. The Byers live a solid three miles away.

Steve shakes his head and focuses on Dustin rambling about not understanding the state of Mike's relationship with El at this point. Are they back together? Are they not?

Steve doesn't know what to tell him beyond the fact that relationships sometimes aren't easy. Feels are complicated and messy most of the time.

Dustin doesn't seem satisfied with that explanation, which Steve doesn't blame him for.

**

They end up at the Arcade and Steve really doesn't like the Arcade. But this is how Mike is cheered up and Steve brings _The Handmaid's Tale_ with him because if anything is going to make him read it's being stuck at the Arcade, bored out of his mind and desperate for entertainment.

...It's fucked up. Not really entertainment, at least not in the way he's used to. But he ends up getting sucked into enough that he's startled when Lucas pokes his arm and asks for five bucks.

"I'm not giving you five bucks. Why do you even want it?"

"We're trying to win El one of those stuffed animals in the claw machine."

Steve looks over and true to his word, they're all surrounding the claw machine with Max threatening anyone who comes near it to go away.

Steve sighs, reaches into his pocket, and gives Lucas a few singles. "You know, you could just buy her something."

"It takes more effort to win it. It takes skill and dedication in a way that walking into a store and picking something from the shelf doesn't have. So it's worth more."

Steve raises his eyebrows. "Okay then."

"Thanks, Steve." 

Steve sighs again and shakes his head, going back to the book. He gets the chills a few times.

**

Steve's lost in his head when he drives them to the Byers' home. He's about to drive home to try to finish this book, but Joyce rushes out of the house and ushers him inside.

Steve forces a smile on his face and gets out of the car. "Hi, Joyce. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, come in, we need to talk," she says, smiling when she puts a hand on his back, leading him inside.

Steve can see from inside that the party is outside, staring through the window impatiently. He turns to the kitchen and sees El and Kali sitting at the table. Joyce sits down next to El and Steve takes the available seat next to Kali.

"So...what's up?" Steve asks.

Joyce wrings her hands on the table. "Well, you see -"

"I would like to be here for El. Mrs. Byers said that while she wishes she could host me, there is no space here," Kali interrupts, her tone soft as she shoots Mrs. Byers a quick smile.

"I said you had space," El adds quietly. "Big house. No parents."

He's heard that before.

"I don't know when your parents are coming home, but -" Mrs. Byers starts.

"Sure. Yeah. I have the space," Steve says, his voice loud and grating to his ears. He looks to Kali. "It's no problem."

El smiles gratefully at him. "Really?"

His smile is more genuine. "Yeah."

"Great," Mrs. Byers exhales happily, relieved.

Steve had stopped having headaches over the last two days, but one sneaks up on him until he's wincing when he leaves the Byers' house with Kali in tow.

"If it's a problem, you can drop me off at the closest motel," she says, not looking at him after she's sitting in the passenger seat.

"I said it wasn't a problem."

"Your face said otherwise."

"It's really not," he insists, annoyed.

"Then what is it? Something about it is annoying you."

He exhales through his nose sharply and starts the car.

He feels her eyes on him after a moment. "Not annoyed," she amends, "upset. Why?"

He clenches his jaw and backs out of the driveway. Once they're a block away from the Byers' house, he asks, "have you ever felt like...have you ever realized that you were someone's rock - that you supported someone through something tough and you think, wow, I really did good, y'know?" He glances at her and she nods once. "I thought that a lot and now I'm just thinking…" he trails off.

"Am I too good at it that people forget you could use a break?"

He blinks a few times. He looks to her. "Yeah," he admits quietly. "Exactly."

The rest of the ride home is silent.

**

As soon as they walk into his house, the phone rings.

"Harrington residence," he says.

"_Guess who found a _fifty_ dollar bill on the ground in Indianapolis today_."

"Wow, aren't you lucky." He can just imagine Robin's smug expression.

"_I know. You get to reap in the fortune though, I'm picking up Chinese. Anything you want?_"

He presses his tongue against his cheek. "Hey," he calls out, getting Kali's attention. "Getting Chinese - do you have any preferences?"

"No beef or pork."

"...Okay. Chicken is okay?"

"That's fine."

He shakes his head a little. "Uh, I have a guest who doesn't eat beef or pork, so adjust. Or at least have options for her."

"_Her? Who the hell is your guest?_"

"El's sister is in town. I'm the only one with space."

"_Younger_?"

"Older."

"_...Cute?_"

"Thanks _so_ much, Robin, it's really appreciated."

"_Oh, _must _be!_"

"_Byeee,_" he drags out before hanging up.

Kali stares at him. "Girlfriend?" she questions.

"Definitely not. Potential best friend for life, though."

"Why do I feel like that's not the norm for you."

"Because it isn't," he admits. "But, you know, going through trauma tends to bond people."

"Okay, fair enough."

He takes a seat at the kitchen table. "So...why don't you eat pork or beef, but you'll eat chicken? Is it allergies or something?"

"No, it's - if you're Hindu, you don't eat cow because it's a revered animal. Pork is considered unclean."

He snaps his fingers. "Ah, like being Jewish. Can't eat the pork. Not kosher."

"Yes, same concept."

"So, do Hindu people worship cows?"

She narrows her eyes at him, but then she sighs. "You don't know anything about Hinduism, do you," she states rather than asks.

"Not a lick," he admits, running a hand through his hair and rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed. "I only know about the pork thing because there's - there was a guy on my basketball team who was Jewish. He ate kosher, so he couldn't eat certain things, and certain foods couldn't touch."

She breaks the religion down easy enough for him to understand. His family wasn't religious beyond going to church on Christmas Eve and Easter, and they haven't even gone the last two years. He finds it interesting that Hinduism preaches tolerance when Christianity really doesn't at all. He also finds it kind of cool that there's more than one god - there's a main one and as a believer, you pick a god to be your own.

"I'm named after the goddess of death."

"Bullshit, your parents did not have _that_ in mind when they named you," he retorts. "Who names their kid after a god of death? That's like naming your kid Hades or Thantos something."

"Thanatos," she corrects him.

"Yeah, that."

"I'm impressed you know Greek gods."

"Blame that on Dustin. You'll meet him soon enough. Kid is a walking encyclopedia. Something was bound to stick."

She exhales a laugh. "Okay, you're right. Kali is also known as a protector. A force of nature."

"Now that's what I'm talking about." He pauses. "Although being named after the goddess of death is pretty badass."

She smiles and huh, she's pretty. Really pretty. "So, what does Steve mean?"

"Literally no idea. Never thought about it. Not exactly a unique name. There were like, three other Steves in my school."

"We can ask your encyclopedia friend."

"I'm sure he knows," he says dryly.

By the time Robin rings the doorbell, Steve definitely knows more about Hinduism than he ever thought he would. 

"Hey," Steve greets, taking one of the bags from her.

"Quick - do I look cute?" Robin asks in a whisper.

"You're kidding - get in there," he gripes. Then, "yes, obviously."

She beams and walks in. "Hi! I'm Robin, it's nice to meet you."

"You too. I'm Kali."

"_Oh_, goddess of death, awesome."

Kali looks past Robin to smirk at Steve. He scrunches his nose in response.

Steve had snuck a random collection of beers from the various graduation parties he attended in June, so he offers everyone drinks. Robin and Kali get along - being snarky and smart and liking to poke fun at him.

"I got very lucky bumping into him right outside of town. Made it very easy."

"What were you doing?" Robin asks him.

"I couldn't fall asleep, so I just drove around."

"I'm surprised you didn't try to read to help you fall asleep."

"For your information, I started that book because I was bored and I'm finding it very engrossing."

She raises her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah! It's really messed up, but I can see it happening!"

Robin turns to Kali. "I gave him the latest Margaret Atwood book - it's not out in the US yet, but I have a cousin who is my kindred spirit in Toronto and she mailed it to me and it's amazing. Groundbreaking. I gave it to Dingus here -"

"Hey -"

" - to read and I'm pleasantly surprised he not only started it in a timely manner without me bugging him, but he actually likes it!"

"_Like_ is a strong word for something that's so miserable and depressing," he mutters.

"Give it to Kali when you're done. Have you read her stuff?" she asks, her eyes wide.

"I'm afraid I haven't," Kali says lightly.

"Well, you definitely should. A writer of a century."

They kill a little time over a six-pack and Robin gets ready to leave, saying she'll walk home.

Steve makes a wrong-buzzer noise. "Not happening. I'll walk you home."

"Then you're walking home alone," she argues.

"I'll walk him home," Kali offers.

Robin smiles slowly. "I gotta ask - can you do what El does?"

"Different. I can make you see things that aren't there."

Kali holds out her fist, which she opens and reveals a neon blue butterfly.

"Woah," Steve exhales.

Robin is focused on the butterfly in awe. Steve's eyes wander from the butterfly to Kali.

Kali is only looking at him.

**

Robin only lives a little over a mile away from Steve, which was a funny thing to learn after everything. The walk is quiet, save for Robin asking if Kali can make it seem like they're walking in the daytime, if she could take away all the houses and make it seem like a desert.

(That one was really creepy.)

Kali discreetly wipes a drop a blood from under her nose.

"You're amazing," Robin gushes.

When they arrived at her house, Robin says to Steve, "I have to go to St. Louis for a few days. We're moving my grandma to Hawkins. I'll be back next Tuesday."

"Oh right, you said that. Okay, I'll miss you oh so much."

"Shut up." She hugs him tightly. 

"Who's going to help me with the children?" he pretends to complain.

"You do fine on your own," she scoffs, reaching into her back pocket for a pen and takes his hand to write on it. "Here's my grandma's phone number. We're disconnecting it on Monday, but just in case."

"Thanks. I'm definitely calling."

"It was nice to meet you, Kali. Try not to kill him. He's an idiot, but he's my idiot."

Kali smiles. "I'll try my best."

"Hilarious," he says sarcastically.

"She's nice," Kali says a minute into their walk back to his house. "Way cooler than you."

"Yeah," he sighs. "I'm getting that." He looks at her. "Do you know how long you plan on staying?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "No plans. At least for now."

"How did you hear about the Starcourt Mall fiasco?"

"I overheard some kids a few days later in a mall in Big Sur -"

"Big Sur?"

"It's in northern California. I overheard kids talking about maybe _this_ mall had a secret Russian base, and when I asked them what they were talking about, they told me about some ‘hick town' in Indiana had their mall destroyed. I had a feeling it was where El was, so I did some research and started driving east."

"Wow. Weird to think that people in California know about Hawkins."

She hums. "I suspect you'll get a number of visitors soon enough."

"Great." Pause. "I can't believe there's a place called _Big Sur_."

"It's spelled S-u-r, for reference."

"Oh."

She smiles. "I can show you what it looks like."

"Save it for the house. It's really disorienting when you change shit when I'm mobile."

"It's how I escaped many cops."

"_That_ I gotta hear."

**

He's seated on the edge of the armchair in the living room with his eyes screwed shut.

"You can open them. You didn't have to shut your eyes."

"It'll help me not freak out so much," he tells her before slowly opening them.

He's standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean, _fuck_.

"Jesus Christ," he gasps, looking down at his feet, which are firmly planted on the grassy edge.

His heart is pounding even though he keeps repeating to himself that it's not real. "This is where you were living?" he asks.

"Close enough."

He exhales a laugh through his nose. "I know you're here for El, but fuck, why are you staying here without a firm exit date?"

Her eyes are dark and calm. He's been so used to the clarity of Nancy's eyes and Robin's that staring into Kali's is...nice. Different. Warm.

"You hate it here."

He blinks and he's back in his living room. 

She wipes her nose and walks over to the couch, sighing when she sits down.

"I don't..._hate_ it here."

"You sitting on top of your car at five in the morning listening to depressing music says otherwise."

"That's insomnia."

"A dramatic use of time."

"I love people here. Like El and her friends are fucking awesome. But I hate this house. I hate that I feel like I have no parents, but I hate it even more when they're home. I hate that I was such an asshole for so long here and it's like, I can't ever move on from it since this town remembers _everything_. Like, I still have moms coming up to me in the supermarket, reminiscing that I was a cowboy for Halloween in the fifth grade."

She's trying not to smile. "A cowboy?"

"I was a very cute cowboy."

"I'm sure."

He smiles a little. "I think about leaving Hawkins, but I have no goddamn clue of what I want to do. I'm not that smart and I kind of lost my shot at playing basketball in college because I was out part of the season due to _last_ year's interdimensional disaster, and…" he exhales. "My life is kind of a mess."

"It's hard losing a purpose." She's looking down at her hands, picking off nail polish.

"That why you're here?"

She gives a small shrug. "Sort of." She suddenly stands up. "I'm going to sleep. Good night."

"...Night."

Once she goes up the stairs, Steve checks the clock in the kitchen and groans.

(He finishes _The Handmaid's Tale_ and he manages to fall asleep at four in the morning, which is progress.)

**

Over the next few days, Kali and Steve fall into some sort of routine in which Kali is out of the house by the time he wakes up. Occasionally she uses his kitchen and leaves leftovers for him, sometimes not. Sometimes her van is in his driveway, sometimes it's not.

She only seems to want to spend time with El, so he doesn't know where Kali goes when El is with Mike or with the rest of the party. They'll cross paths at night - he'll make them sandwiches or he'll order food or she'll cook. There's not a lot of talking.

It's weird, but...kind of nice. Not coming back to an empty house.


	2. part ii

Dustin comes by one morning at eight, which is disgusting and Steve tells him that, cranky and exhausted after only a handful of hours of sleep.

(He may have called Robin and got a few book recs, so he's currently trying to read _A People's History of the United States _(it's a very slow go) and this book _Jacob Have I Loved_, which is surprisingly messed up considering it's supposed to be for children. But it's all motivation so he can read _The Stranger Beside Me_ \- something he picked up after wandering around the library for an hour while Dustin and Will were gathering their own books to read.)

"I need your help getting Suzie the perfect birthday gift. And I need to do it fast since it needs to go out in the mail in a few days in order for it to arrive on time," Dustin rambles.

"Too bad there's no mall."

"There's another one thirty minutes away."

"You want to hurt me. _Me_, the closest thing you have to an older brother," Steve sighs.

"_Steve._"

"Take him to the mall already and be quiet!" Kali yells from the top of the stairs.

Dustin gasps. "El's sister?" he whispers loudly.

"Yes. Who else would it be?"

"I can't believe you're living with a girl."

"It's a temporary solution to a presenting problem."

Dustin blinks at him. Huh, that actually sounded smart, right? Steve grins.

"I want to meet her. Can I meet her? I only saw her once when she dropped off El."

"Normal people want to sleep past eight in the morning on a Saturday, Henderson."

"She's clearly awake if she just yelled -"

"You two are very annoying."

Steve looks over his shoulder and is taken aback by her clean face. She's wearing a black t-shirt and black shorts and Steve is a little distracted by her legs - she's always wearing pants, even in the unforgiving heat, so it's a change. A nice change.

She stares him down, but she's soft around the edges.

Dustin whacks him in the back. Steve winces.

"Shit, sorry, I forgot you have a busted rib there." He pats Steve higher on his shoulder.

"Dustin, this is Kali. Kali, this is Dustin," Steve says, gesturing between them.

"Ah, so this is your best friend," she teases.

"You bet. Dustin's the best," Steve says easily, wrapping an arm around Dustin's shoulders.

She smiles at him and his heart definitely thumps louder in his chest.

"It's great to meet you officially! El told us what you can do and it sounds incredible. Anyway, sorry to wake you, I just need emergency assistance finding my girlfriend a birthday gift."

"Girlfriend? How nice."

"Yeah, so I need him to take us to the nearest mall since, obviously, our mall is still restricted."

"I'll go with you," she says casually, walking toward the kitchen.

Steve stares after her like an idiot. Dustin says, "really? _Awesome_."

"You're going to need a female perspective since something tells me that your friend here might steer you wrong."

"Excuse you, but he wouldn't have a girlfriend if it weren't for my mentoring," Steve counters.

"I actually didn't take much of your advice - oh no, I did wear that outfit you said I looked good in for our first date. I did that."

Steve rolls his eyes.

"Two heads are better than one," she adds with a smirk as she pours herself a glass of water.

Steve makes a face at her.

"McDonald's for breakfast?"

Steve and Dustin look to each other with pure joy. "Egg McMuffin, Egg McMuffin," they chant as they run up the stairs to Steve's room.

"Dude," Dustin hisses as he shuts the door. "You've been living with a hot girl for a week! Unsupervised!"

"We don't see each other a lot," Steve reminds him. "And nothing is happening."

"You said that about Robin."

"Yeah, and I was right. We're friends."

"Okay, but this is different."

"Why is it different?"

"Because you're _looking_ at her -"

"What do you mean I'm _looking_ at her -"

"Like you're in awe or something!"

"Please," Steve scoffs. He rummages through his drawer and pulls out a white shirt and a pair of shorts.

"No, not that shirt, wear blue or green they're your best colors."

"First of all, you little shit, I look great in all colors. Second of all, I'm not wearing blue or red for a month."

"Green, then."

Steve rolls his eyes and searching through his drawer to find a green shirt. "I don't have one."

"Yes you do! That button-down one with the rolled up sleeves."

"Okay, I'm a little concerned that you know my wardrobe better than I do - _oh_, shit, yeah, I forgot about that shirt! I think I put it in the closet."

Dustin goes over and opens it, searching left to right and exclaiming, "here it is! Good idea, there's no wrinkles in this baby."

Steve grimaces, but takes the offered shirt and puts it on. Dustin picks up the khaki shorts from the floor that Steve had picked up and puts them back, pulling out a different pair of khaki shorts.

"Now you're just fucking with me."

Dustin beams. "A little. But you look great."

"I don't know who I'm impressing."

Dustin's eyes bug out of his head. "Uh, since when are you not open to flirting with anyone?" Pause. "It's whom. By the way. Whom I'm impressing."

Steve gives him a baleful glare. "I currently have a healing bruise and scar on my face and my ribs are healing."

"It looks roguish. Like, you can respond, ‘you should see the other guy,' and then flip your hair."

Steve laughs and checks his hair in the mirror. He pulls out his hair spray from his top drawer and does a couple of sprays to give it a little more life.

"And you can impress Kali, you know."

"She's definitely not impressed with me," he states. "A nice shirt isn't going to change that."

"Okay, what did you do with Steve Harrington because you're clearly a pod person. Where's the arrogance, nay, the _confidence_? You were King Steve -"

"Don't call me that," Steve says quietly. 

Dustin shuts his mouth and frowns a little. "You know what I mean," he says.

"Thanks, Henderson. But I'm good. Today is about you, right? Getting Suzie the perfect gift. Let's put my nonexistent love life on the backburner."

"Okay."

Steve pats Dustin on the shoulder. "Egg McMuffin."

Dustin nods and grins. "Yeah. Egg McMuffin."

**

When they get downstairs, Kali is lacing up her boots. She's wearing kohl around her eyes and she's wearing pants. But her arms are bare this time, which is just as nice.

"Why do boys take longer to get ready than girls?" she asks them.

"A sexist misconception," Dustin agrees.

"Max took forty minutes longer to get ready for your graduation party," Steve points out.

"That was because there was a tear in her dress and her mom needed to fix it."

"Really? I thought it was because something happened with her makeup."

"Yeah, but the main issue was the dress."

"Oh. Well, my mistake."

"You do usually take the longest," Dustin adds.

Steve runs a hand through his hair. "You can't rush perfection," he says in a snooty tone.

"I'll drive," Kali says, blatantly ignoring him.

Steve would normally argue, but he doesn't mind saving the gas money since a good chunk of whatever is in his bank goes towards gas to drive the brats around.

"So, why do you want to go to this mall?" Steve asks when he gets in the front seat of her van, which is immaculate.

"I read about a job opening in the mall."

He blinks a few times. "Seriously?"

She shrugs. "Since I think I'm staying for a while. I can earn some money, pay you for letting me stay until I can maybe rent a room, or -"

"You don't have to pay me anything, really. You're El's sister. It's fine."

She glances away from the road to look at him. "Still."

"Where's the job?" Dustin asks.

"A record store."

Steve laughs a little.

"What?" she demands more than asks.

"You look the part," he says, gesturing to her hair, her face.

She thinks about it. "Depends on the type of record store," she allows.

"So, you're super into music then?" Dustin asks.

She shrugs. "I haven't had a formal education, really, and while traveling around the country, I didn't always have access to movies or televisions, but I always had access to music, so I have a wide range of knowledge."

"Favorite band?"

"What is this, an interrogation?" Steve asks.

"I'm just trying to get to know El's sister!"

Kali pulls into the McDonald's parking lot. She's trying hard not to smile. "You're overly curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat. Actually. In real life, that happened."

Dustin gasps. "Screw you."

"Do I want to know?" Kali asks slowly.

"His cat got eaten by a monster that he kept in his house."

"Thanks a lot, Steve."

"This small town is too lively," Kali mutters under her breath.

Steve and Dustin convince Kali that the Egg McMuffins are totally totally worth it, so she gets one for herself, even though she still claims that the apple pie is the best.

"I mean, that's a fair alternative," Dustin says.

The drive consists of the three of them arguing which radio station they want, so they end up hopping between Tears for Fears, Madonna, Jefferson Starship, and Bruce Springsteen, with the occasional throwback tracks by the Eagles and the Beatles and Linda Ronstadt.

Steve steals glances at Kali, who has a hand on the wheel, one arm out of the window, her hand occasionally moving along with the wind. her hair, shining purple in the sun, billows behind her, curls around her neck. He swallows and looks out of his own window.

**

The mall doesn't look a lot like Starcourt, so there isn't as much nervousness as he feared, but as soon as he passes by the food court, he thinks he's choking on his breath until he hears Dustin heave, rush past him to the nearest garbage bin to puke.

Kali's eyes are wide. Steve rubs Dustin's back in soothing circles. "It's alright."

"Ugh, my Egg McMuffin," Dustin whines, trying to laugh but it comes out shaky. 

Steve pats him on the back. "I'll buy you another one tomorrow."

"You better." He tries to smile.

"Here." Steve pulls out his wallet and gives him five bucks. "Buy mints and pudding, or something."

"I'm not twelve, pudding isn't my _favorite_ thing anymore," Dustin insists.

Steve would normally call bullshit since he has stocked his house with chocolate pudding over the last eight months since becoming friends with him, so he just lets him wander off.

"You forget, sometimes. That it affects them."

He sighs. "They're resilient. But they're still kids."

Her jaw is clenched as she nods.

Steve wasn't told details of what El went through in that lab, but he gathers it was awful and judging by the haunting gaze in Kali's eyes, he knows it was worse than whatever he could think of.

"They're lucky to have you," she says.

"Hm." He hums in response, catching Dustin buying mint chocolate chip ice cream, which Steve thinks is kind of genius.

"Smells are the worst trigger," she explains to him in a quiet voice.

He thinks it's weird until he remembers that the smell of hydrangeas oddly takes him back to being four years old at his grandma's house, before she died. The smell of meatballs reminds him of a family dinner when he was ten and his dad was drunk from a work function and he nearly hit his mom. Steve doesn't think his dad ever hit his mom before or since, but that was the closest. 

The smell of the food court - the mix of different types of cuisine - makes him sick to his stomach.

"Let's find the record store." She takes his wrist and he follows her, Dustin falling into step, focusing on his two scoops of ice cream.

While Kali goes inside the record store to ask about the job opening, Dustin drags Steve to the bookstore, going immediately to the science fiction section.

"You don't have enough of this shit in our real lives?" Steve asks, gesturing to the books in exasperation.

"Shut up - what's going on with you and Kali?"

"Am I having deja vu or something? _Nothing_!"

"She took your hand."

"She didn't take my hand, she took my arm."

"It looked awfully close to your hand."

"Dude, come on," Steve argues.

"Fine, lie to me, but it's obvious."

Steve groans. "She's...you know…"

"You can say hot."

"That seems disrespectful."

Dustin blinks a few times. "Steve. You like her. Like, genuinely."

"Dustin."

"Okay, okay. You know I just want you to have your Suzie."

Steve ruffles Dustin's hair, unbearably fond. "I could only be so lucky to have a Suzie."

Dustin grins, dopey and lovesick and Steve feels really stupid for how bitter he was last year regarding love. A rare thing that Steve is really glad Dustin never took that bit of advice seriously.

**

Kali gets the job - working three days a week to fill in for one of their regular employees until September. She starts the day after tomorrow.

"Okay, let's see about getting your girlfriend the perfect birthday present. What does she like?" 

They look through the map of the mall and find a store that seems to be the pinnacle of nerd.

"This is...very…" Kali trails off, looking around in confusion. They've walked past a section dedicated to the solar system. 

"The word you're looking for is _nerdy_. This is a store for _nerds_."

"I might not be much help, then," she admits and he laughs.

He wanders down an isle and finds glow in the dark stars.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"I'm sick of looking at my blank ceiling at night." He reads the back of the box. "Awesome, they give you a map so you can put real constellations."

When she doesn't respond, he looks up to find her smirking at him.

"You're a little bit of a nerd."

"Well, you better nerd up then because I think you should help me create the Milky Way tonight."

"I'm not doing that."

"Why? Do you have plans that are way more fun than this?" Steve shakes the box for emphasis.

"Watching the grass grow seems better."

He gapes at her. "So rude."

He hears rushed footsteps down the aisle and Dustin pops in. "What are you doing?" he asks them before he sees what's in Steve's hands. "Awesome choice. For your room?"

"There's your helper," Kali says, gesturing to Dustin.

"Can't - I'm too short to reach his ceiling," Dustin says at once. "He also has no vision. Probably just wants to be boring and recreate the Milky Way."

"Hey!"

"Come on, I found three potential gifts."

Steve gets the box of stars and even though they debate on it for about fifteen minutes, eventually they agree that giving Suzie a ‘golden ratio' bracelet was romantic (Steve doesn't get how it is beyond the fact that it's a bracelet) and nerdy (it's a math thing, so yeah, nerdy). So, it's perfect.

**

"What does the name ‘Steve' mean?" Kali asks on their way back to Hawkins.

"Its origin is Greek - stephanos, meaning a crown," Dustin answers without missing a beat.

Steve snorts.

"Also the name of the first Christian martyr." Dustin pauses. "Fun fact!"

"You're making that up."

"I think you've lived up to it."

Steve looks back at Dustin, his openly earnest expression is like a hand squeezing his heart.

"How did he?" she asks.

Hearing Dustin frame him as a hero, picking off monsters one by one, protecting the kids, taking a plate to the head for a thirteen-year-old kid, crashing a convertible (who told Dustin about that move?), it all seems...action star cool.

And later, after they part ways, after Dustin's mom feeds Steve dinner, he begins mapping out his ceiling - which part of the Milky Way he wants to stare at for hours on end late at night. 

When Kali comes back from being with El, she has a large book with her about space - definitely from Will's collection since he keeps his books in perfect condition.

"I thought maybe you'd like some options."

They flip through it, even though he realizes a few pages in that most of the images tend to blend together unless specific constellations are highlighted.

He puts his own zodiac sign on the ceiling (Libra) and he looks up the birthdays of all the kids so he can put their signs up there too. Kali puts hers up as well in the corner of his room, by his door.

He sees her shirt riding up her stomach and he focuses back on the ceiling, placing random stars in between the constellations.

"What's the deal with this Mike?" she asks suddenly.

He laughs. "They're so in love."

He catches her grimacing. "Really?"

"Yeah. They're sweet together. He's always respected her and cares about her. You don't have to worry about Mike. Besides, El could kick his ass if he tried anything funny."

When she doesn't respond, he looks over and finds her staring at the stars in her hands. "I'm afraid her powers won't come back. I've never gone more than two days without it, even when I've exhausted myself," she admits quietly.

"Does El know that?"

She shakes her head. "I also haven't fought what she fought. So, it might be okay. I hope it'll be okay."

"Well, even though we don't have superpowers, we make do."

Her eyes stray to the bat of nails. "You sure do."

He tells her when he first used it at Jonathan's house, scared out of his damn mind and completely out of his depth. She laughs at his reenactment. She stops laughing when he mentions he carried the bat in his trunk for a year, just in case.

The ceiling is done and they sit on his bed. She falls back on the mattress.

"You should turn the lights off."

He does as instructed and lies down beside her, legs hanging off the edge of his bed. He smiles at the glowing stars.

"You can't see the stars in cities."

It's the weirdest thing about cities. It's cool, but he's always grateful when he can see stars in the sky.

"I was five when I was taken from my parents in London. And then I was underground. When I escaped, it was night. I had never seen so many stars in my life."

They don't know El's birthday, but she picked a day in the spring, so Gemini is on his ceiling. He stares at it for a few moments. "I don't know how you came back here." He swallows, his throat raw.

He's grateful for the darkness.

"I know what it's like to lose found family. I didn't want her to be alone." She snorts softly. "Obviously I was wrong - she wasn't alone like I was."

"Dustin lost his dad when he was six. He's the only one that understands. Losing a parent." He turns his head to barely make out her profile in the dark. "I know having you here has helped her. I see it."

He thinks he can see her smile.

"She wants me to meet the rest of her friends tomorrow."

He snorts. "They're good kids. They're little shits most of the time, but they're good."

"I'm assuming you're going to be around?"

"Most likely." He brings a hand to his ribs. "Might try to start running. Or maybe swimming."

"You do look a little out of shape."

He laughs a little. "It's a good thing I haven't been working at Scoops this whole time because that would've been a dangerous combo."

She exhales a laugh.

He exhales and feels his eyes grow heavy.

The next thing he knows, the sun is up and so is Kali, pulling her hair up to tie it into a bun. The purple in her hair is fading. She drops her hands and she looks down at him, smiling a little.

His heart races, maybe. 

"What am I supposed to do with a bunch of fourteen year olds?" she asks in a low voice.

He smiles slowly.

**

They take her van since it's much easier to transport that many people. He's kicked out of the passenger seat by El, who just _stares_ at him, which freaks him out even though he knows she doesn't have her powers back yet. He moves to the back promptly where Will is sitting.

The kid looks a little down.

While Kali and El are talking, Steve nudges Will's foot with his own. "You good?"

"Yeah, I'm good, just tired," Will says promptly, his smile not reaching his eyes.

El looks behind and gives Will a grim smile.

Kali narrows her eyes at El, but doesn't pry.

Thankfully, once Dustin is in the van, the tension breaks. Will is properly smiling now and Lucas and Max come into the van arguing. Steve tells them to knock it off, kiss and make up, or whatever they need to do to _lower the volume, damn it_.

They scoff and roll their eyes. Lucas surprisingly kisses Max on the cheek, which makes everyone yell, "Awww!"

Max promptly flips everyone off, face as red as a tomato.

Mike is the last person to be picked up. Steve has to poke the back of Kali's arm to stop her from glaring at him.

Steve suggested going to the diner in order to make it easier to get to know El's friends. Plus, they'd warm up to her quickly if she paid for breakfast and maybe ice cream later.

"Nothing like buying affection," Kali mutters under her breath when they go inside.

El introduces Mike to Kali. Mike smiles and a second later, sticks out his hand across the table. She stares at it long enough to make him squirm before shaking it firmly.

"You already know me," Dustin pipes up happily.

"Me too, I guess," Will adds.

"I'm Max. I love your hair - I kind of wish I could have blue streaks or something cool," Max says.

Kali smiles. "Thanks. I'm taking a break - I have a lot of hair, so it's exhausting to do regularly." She nods at Max. "You could do yours pretty quickly."

"Don't get blue streaks," Lucas says.

Max narrows her eyes. "Why?"

"Because you'll look like the American flag! Your hair is red, you have really pale skin, plus the blue?"

Max opens her mouth to argue, then deflates. "Yeah."

"Purple would be cool though. Or maybe even like, crimson red, you know?"

Max smiles. Steve gives Lucas a wink.

"Again, the winking," Dustin says, exasperated.

Kali doesn't look up from her menu when she says, "He's a smooth operator."

Mike and Lucas snort into their waters.

Thankfully, the waitress comes by and takes their orders. 

Steve can tell that Kali likes the party. She does a fine job not appearing too emotional, but he can see the amusement in her eyes when she listens to them recall dressing El in a hideous pink dress and a blonde wig to have her blend in. She's impressed by Max's moxy and there's something about the way her gaze softens when Dustin talks, like she gets it.

When it's time to pay, he slips a bill into her hand to help her out. She doesn't acknowledge it until they're leaving the diner, Steve holding the door for everyone and she pats him on the chest in gratitude.

Everything is just great until they turn a corner and see Tommy and Carol, arms as usual wrapped around each other. Steve slides his Ray Bans onto his face and avoids them.

But when they pass each other, Tommy snorts as they pass, Carol popping gum. "Way to downgrade, Harrington."

Carol giggles and Steve stops walking. "Excuse me?" he says.

Tommy's and Carol's eyes drag from the top of Kali's head to her scuffed boots. "Looks like you found her at a dump."

Steve's hand curls into a fist and before he can take a step toward Tommy to punch him, Tommy and Carol flinch back, eyes unseeing, then stumbling back and _running_.

"Yeah, fuck off," Max half-screams.

Steve looks to Kali, who is wiping blood from under her nose. "What did you make them see?"

"Bees." She shrugs. "Maybe a little larger than normal, but not very creative."

"Fucking assholes," he mutters.

He looks over to Max, who has an arm round Lucas' waist, still looking down the street, even though they're long gone. "They'll be out of Hawkins in a bit, you'll probably get away without seeing them," he tells her.

Her eyes are still blazing with hatred. "They're not the only ones like that."

His eyes slip to Lucas, who is uncharacteristically solemn. "Yeah," Steve sighs. "I know."

"California wasn't perfect, but sometimes it's just so much better."

Now that Steve is starting to pay attention more - the sexism, the homophobia, the racism - there's a lot to be angry and upset about.

He places a hand on her shoulder and a hand on Lucas' shoulder and squeezes a little. 

They cheer up again when they get into Kali's van and the song on the radio is "The Never Ending Story," which has to be explained to Kali in between bouts of hysterical laughter.

Her answering laugh is stunning.

**

The first house they stop at is the Byers' house. Joyce comes out and gestures for everyone to come in.

Will immediately gets out of the van, El trailing behind him. He's angry, gesturing her no, but she's insistent, encouraging the rest of the group to come inside.

Steve isn't one for getting bad feelings, but he thinks the sense of dread squeezing his heart is something close to the sensation, worsening when he sees Jonathan and Nancy with red eyes.

They're gathered in the living room, which Steve always thought was so homey and inviting, more so than the coldness of his own living room. But the comfort ends when Joyce, while speaking in a soft tone, tells them that she's putting the house on the market, that she, Jonathan, Will, and El will be leaving Hawkins.

The uproar is immediate, led by Mike and Max. Steve looks to Kali, whose eyes are wide. El didn't tell her, or maybe she and Will only found out about it this morning or last night.

It doesn't feel like he's even in his own body, everything a short distance away. Will is crying. Jonathan is holding him, Nancy is gripping Jonathan. 

"Why?" Steve asks so quietly that he figures nobody heard him until Joyce looks at him, the pure exhaustion etched in her face.

"It's too much," she admits, equally quiet.

Will rips himself from Jonathan's arms and rushes outside. The rest of the party follows suit. Kali follows them out and Steve is last, catching Joyce bringing a hand to her mouth, sitting on the nearest available piece of furniture.

The heat is scalding and sweat drips down his temple as he struggles to breathe, gripping the frame of the car in one hand and the open passenger side door in the other. The kids are sniffling and holding each other in the back. Steve has to remind himself to inhale once all the air in his chest is expelled.

His heart pounds and there's a ringing in his ears and -

"Stay here," he says, pushing himself van and slamming the door.

He walks fast to the front door and he can hear the kids scrambling out of the car behind him, but he's quick to open the front door and throw it shut behind him.

Joyce and Jonathan and Nancy are at the kitchen table, staring at him like he's grown a second head.

"Steve?" Nancy asks.

"Uh, sorry, for storming in, but - what the _fuck_," Steve blurts out, strangely out of breath. He barely registers their shocked expressions. "These kids - these goddamn kids fought _monsters_ a-and the _Russian government_ and they're somehow mostly stable and you just want to take Will and El away? They're only okay because they're together. Why are you doing this?" He hates how he sounds like he's begging and he doesn't mean to come across childish, he really doesn't, he knows, as an adult (technically) that there are plenty of reasons to get out of Hawkins, but after all they've gone through -

"Hey, I think you need to calm down and just take a breath," Jonathan says, getting to his feet.

"I'm perfectly calm!" Steve retorts.

Joyce looks heartbroken. "Steve -"

"Go home, Steve. Maybe think about this from a perspective that isn't yours," Nancy says, keeping a hand on Jonathan's forearm and that just pisses Steve off.

"You know," Steve starts, looking at Nancy, "I only try to get through life as normally as I can because I can't rehash the trauma every goddamn day. It's too much. Sometimes it's just good to be with people who know what you went through and not have to relive it every waking hour because God knows it's outside of your control when you shut your eyes, right?"

Nancy's eyes soften and Steve tears his gaze away from her.

"I'm sorry, I'm leaving, I just...never mind." Steve all but runs back outside and the kids step back from the windows.

"What are you doing, shitheads? Get in the van!" Steve demands, clapping his hands and striding to the van. He has to wipe his face since he lost the ability to control himself.

He almost trips when he feels a strong pair of arms around his waist. "What -" he starts, stopping when he sees the top of El's head. He sighs and brings an arm around her shoulders, which everyone takes as permission to start hugging him and he's _not crying_, that would be _stupid_ and _lame_.

"Alright, alright, let go, let's get out of here," Steve says, gently retracting himself from their hold.

Kali is wiping her nose when he gets inside the passenger seat. "You're right," is the only thing she says before starting the van.

She takes them to his house since he doesn't know what else to do. They huddle in the living room and Kali takes Steve's hand, leading them upstairs.

He sits down heavily onto his bed. She sits down next to him and she...brings an arm around him, allowing him to rest his head against hers. His eyes fall shut. She doesn't say anything, which is okay - there's nothing really to say to make this better.

At one point, the phone rings and he wishes he had El's telepathic powers so he wouldn't have to move. But after the second ring, he gets up and answers with a gruff, "Hello?"

"_Steve? What's wrong?_" It's Robin.

He exhales. "The Byers are moving out of Hawkins."

"..._What?_"

"If you wouldn't mind bringing food -"

"_On it. I'll be there in a half hour._" She hangs up before he can say anything else.

He goes back to sitting on his bed, disappointed that Kali stands up, walking around his room. She checks the music in his stereo and smiles. The last album he was listening to was _Can't Buy a Thrill_.

"_Steve,_" Dustin calls out from downstairs. 

Steve wordlessly reaches under his bed and pulls out a box that contained two video game consoles. She raises an eyebrow at him.

"I'm the consummate host," he answers, leaving his bedroom, allowing her to snoop more.

**

The games are distracting. Robin arrives in a half hour, as promised with bags of snacks.

"Thank you," Steve says once the kids have stolen everything from her.

"Moving? Really?" she asks quietly.

"You should've seen Joyce's face, she's just...tired. Burned out."

She frowns. "How are you doing?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. I yelled at her."

Her eyes flicker to the party, who have stopped playing games and are watching some show on TV, and then back to him. "You did _what_?"

"I just _lost_ it, I should really apologize, I just...think it's cruel. To take them away." He sighs again, then tries to smile. "I've missed you."

She smiles and brings him into a tight, needed hug. "Missed you too."

The kids stay up until two in the morning, falling asleep one by one on the floor, taking cushions from the couch and armchair to rest their heads on. Steve, Kali, and Robin clean up after them and finish the last of the chips. The go up to his room and Kali seems to understand his mood, putting on _Rumours_, which makes Robin smile - Stevie Nicks was her first crush.

Robin falls asleep first to Steve's left and the house is so quiet. "Songbird" plays softly in his room and the moon shines on Kali's face. He wants to touch, maybe.

He starts when she gently takes his hand. "Sleep, Steve."

Her face is the last thing he sees.

And her face is the first thing he sees when he's roughly woken up.

"A cab just pulled into the driveway - I'm hiding my van -" Kali starts, a drop of blood falling down her nose and onto her lip.

Steve shoots up and says, "Get up, Robin!" He stumbles to his feet and is almost out of the door when he remembers - "You have to get your stuff out of the guest room - just throw it in mine and hide -"

"Wake the kids up. I got it," Kali interrupts him.

He rushes down the stairs and shakes the closest kid - Max - awake. "My parents are home, get up!" he hisses.

Max is up in a heartbeat and is rough when waking everyone else.

Steve does a quick scan of the living room and thankfully there doesn't seem to be a mess, save for all the cushions being out of place, but it could be a lot worse.

The front door opens and Steve stands to attention, wincing a little at the sun.

"Steve, what -" her mom starts, pausing when she sees the kids on the floor.

"It's a long story," Steve says.

"Really, Steve?"

The disappointed tone of his dad never fails to grate on him.

Everyone at least is on their feet and Dustin and Will are starting to put the cushions back on the furniture. 

"Thanks, Steve, for everything," Will says.

Steve almost asks how the hell they're getting home since there's no way they're walking, the lazy shits, but El's eyes go toward the ceiling, where Kali is still hiding in his room. He waves them goodbye and exhales when they're out of the house.

His dad sighs. "You're going to be nineteen in less than two months - when are you going to stop hanging out with kids?"

"Maybe when they stop having nightmares about what happened at the mall a few weeks ago," Steve argues.

His mom puts a hand on his dad's arm. "It's sweet that you're looking out for them. We're just tired from traveling."

"You're back early," Steve notes.

"Changed flights due to bad weather coming. We're leaving again in a week," his dad answers, turning toward the stairs to bring his suitcase up, dismissing the conversation. 

His mom smiles weakly at him. "It's good to see you. Will you be out for the rest of the day?"

He swallows over the lump in his throat. "Yeah, just need to change. Gonna go for a run, probably."

"Okay. I'll see you tonight?"

"Maybe."

He waits until his mom goes upstairs, into the master bedroom, and shuts the door. He quickly makes his way up the stairs and opens the door, revealing Robin.

"She's downstairs," she whispers.

Great.

Steve packs a bag with running clothes, his walkman, and some tapes. "Mind if I use your place for the day?"

"Yeah, that's fine, but are you sure you can run? Your ribs are still messed up," Robin argues.

He just brings a finger to his mouth to shush her. They walk down the stairs simultaneously and once they make to the front door, Kali makes herself visible. She's a little pale and the skin under her nose is stained with blood. 

"You okay?" he whispers after shutting the front door, a hand floating behind her back.

"Yeah, it was just a lot to keep everyone hidden."

Suddenly, the van and the kids are visible.

"How are we getting this thing out?" Robin asks, gesturing towards the van.

"We'll start our cars at the same time?" Steve suggests.

Kali shrugs. "Works for me."

It's...not great since a two year old BMW sedan doesn't exactly sound like a fifteen year old Volkswagen van, but his parents' room face the back of the house and they do seem tired, so they just get the hell out of dodge.

Robin turns on his stereo and scoffs in disbelief when she hears Billy Joel. "Seriously?"

"What? _The Stranger_ is great."

"You are stuck in the wrong decade, Harrington."

He just hums in response. He kind of figured last night why he is, but he doesn't want to tell her, not yet. Instead, he starts singing along to "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" - _cold beer, hot lights, my sweet romantic teenage nights._

**

Steve waves goodbye, facing ahead. In the rearview mirror, he sees Kali wave back.

**

Steve may have lost his mojo when it comes to girls, but he's still got it when it comes to charming parents, so Robin's parents already love him and her mom doesn't mind _one little bit_ that he's staying over the day, eating their food, using their shower.

"She's mentally planning the wedding invitations," Robin mutters, flopping onto her bed. 

He snorts, quickly checking her bedroom door, making sure her mom is still in the kitchen when he takes off his shirt and puts on a new one for running.

"Jesus, it's still bruised - are you sure?" Robin says, sitting up.

He lifts his shirt up to inspect his left side, which has the most damage. The bruising is definitely fading, but it's still there. He drops his shirt. "I'll go easy. Promise."

She bites her bottom lip. "Maybe I should come."

He laughs out loud.

"Hey, what's so funny? I can run!"

"Yeah, when it's life or death! I very clearly remember us driving by a runner and you saying, and I quote, ‘I wouldn't be caught dead running in this heat.' And in case you forgot, it's still summer. And I think it's hotter today than it was that day."

She grimaces. "Okay, fine, that's true. But I don't want you to get hurt."

Steve checks his watch. "If I'm not back by ten, then go on a manhunt." He reaches into his bag and takes out his car keys. "You can drive my baby."

"Please don't come back."

He gives her the middle finger and puts his headphones on. "Later."

"Later - take it easy!"

"Yeah, yeah."

He makes sure _Led Zeppelin III_ is rewound to the beginning as he goes down the stairs. He's sure to wave to Mrs. Buckley and again thank her for her hospitality.

Led Zeppelin can be annoying as hell after a few songs, but even he can't deny the power of "Immigrant Song" to start his run with and he uses the slower songs to walk. It's uncomfortable at first, the running, but eventually he gets used to it for a couple of songs until it starts to hurt. So he stops, catches his breath for a minute and walks back.

As soon as he turns a corner, Robin is there in his car.

"_Thank you, Robin, for saving my dumbass from walking two miles back with hurt ribs_," she says mockingly.

"Thank you," he says, wincing as he gets in the passenger seat.

"You okay? Do you need -"

"I'm fine, I just need to rest."

"Okay, well, do you want to rest in the movie theater because my friends David and Jacquie from band want to see _The Black Cauldron_ \- "

"What the hell is that?"

"It's Disney's new movie that just came out."

He furrows his brow. "_Why_?"

"David is into computer shit and apparently it's the first animated film to feature this...computer-generated imagery or something. And Jacquie, whom he's dating, demanded to see _Back to the Future _again, so."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you want to go."

She shrugs. "I don't know. It looks dark for Disney, so I'm a little curious. Plus, y'know, existential crisis regarding graduating and watching a children's movie may ease the anxiety?"

He blinks a few times. "Can you give Dustin a call and see if he's interested. I feel like he'd like that shit."

By the time he's out of the shower and done perfecting his hair, Robin informs him that all the boys are interested in going and they expect Steve to pay.

"Little shitbags," Steve grumbles. "No good deed goes unpunished." He sighs. "Can your friends drive you? Their growth spurts are getting out of hand."

"Sure." Pause. "You're not...worried? About hanging out with my friends?"

He shrugs. "High school's over. We've survived imminent death almost a month ago." He thinks about it. "Do I...need to be worried?"

"I mean...you know…"

"They _know_ I'm coming at least, right?"

"Oh, yeah, they know that, they know we've been hanging out, but they're...confused."

"Well, we'll clear that up then."

**

He couldn't put faces to names, but once he sees David and Jacquie, he remembers seeing them in a few classes during school. They stare at him with a mix of contempt and confusion; while he was openly hanging out with the kids during senior year, he guesses it's one thing to hear about it through rumors and another to see it.

"David, Jacquie, this is Steve. Steve, David and Jacquie, this is Steve."

"You all went to school together, why are you doing this," Mike asks with snark.

"Cool the attitude, Wheeler," Steve orders. "This is Mike - Nancy Wheeler's brother. And that's Lucas, Dustin, and Will - Jonathan Byers' brother."

David and Jacquie blink a few times. "You...okay," Jacquie starts, bewildered.

"Can you get popcorn and M&Ms?" Dustin asks Steve.

"No, because I'm getting your tickets - you guys can buy your own damn snacks." Steve has a thought that makes him grin. "_Or,_ we make a deal - I buy you theater snacks but you have to go running with me."

Dustin gulps and wordlessly drags Lucas and Will to the concession stand. Mike snorts and follows them.

"You gotta have a firm hand," Steve tells David and Jacquie.

Robin purses her mouth to stop herself from laughing. "What do we prefer - front, middle, or back of the theater?"

Everyone votes to sit in the back. David and Dustin get into a conversation about whatever was used to make the movie. Will is just looking forward to the artwork.

"So...Steve. what are your plans for the fall?" Jacquie asks, a little stilted, but Steve appreciates her trying.

"None at the moment - just watching the house for the summer while my parents travel," he answers. "You?"

"Purdue - parents are alumni, but I'm looking forward to it."

"Do you know what you want to study?"

"Probably something to do with statistics."

"Wow, really?" he asks, surprised.

"Yes." Her tone is flat.

"That's amazing. I totally sucked at Stats. I mean, Mr. Schwartz was the most confusing teacher I ever had, but god, the subject was just impossible for me. That's amazing that you want to do that." Steve shakes his head and steals a handful of Dustin's popcorn.

"Hey!"

"You can thank me later when you're picking popcorn out of your baby teeth."

Dustin hisses.

Jacquie is smiling. "Mr. Schwartz really was the worst teacher you could've had for Stats - I wouldn't beat yourself up too much."

Robin picks some popcorn from the palm of Steve's hand, a triumphant grin on her face.

**

Steve wasn't really into the movie, but the kids were and Robin just seems thrilled that her friends don't hate him, which, he's happy about too.

"Is Kali working today?" Dustin asks. "We should visit her."

"I don't think so."

"Who's Kali?" Jacquie asks.

"She's -"

"She's our friend's sister. Well, foster sister," Mike explains, lying easily. "She's here for the summer."

"Where does she work?" David asks.

"The record store."

David's and Jacquie's eyes light up and _shit_.

So, they go to the record store since apparently, David and Jacquie are really into music and still like vinyls, which Steve doesn't get because cassettes are so convenient, easy to store, and better. But he doesn't want them to hate him again, so he comes along and hopes Kali doesn't plague him with visions of zombies or scary things for blindsiding her at work.

Steve puts on his charming, megawatt smile when Kali stares at them. Her expression is blank.

"They're into it, sorry," he says, giving up on the charm. "How's it going?"

"Good for the most part. You get some annoying assholes, but that happens in any customer service related job."

"True."

She nods over at David and Jacquie, who are talking with Robin, seemingly debating on two records. "Friends from school?"

"Robin's friends. I wasn't friends with them because I was obsessed with popularity."

"Ah, that's right. ‘Mr. Cool.'" He can practically hear the air quotations.

He snorts. "Yeah, pretty much lost that as soon as I was seen around Hawkins with a bunch of thirteen year olds."

"They're small minded here."

He glances at her. "Are you saying I'm Mr. Cool."

"Absolutely not."

"I think you are. I think you think that I'm cool for hanging out with middle schoolers."

She snorts and shakes her head. "Now high schoolers."

"God, they grow up so fast."

She smiles again.

"I'll let you go - I'm distracting you. But, uh. My parents are only home for a week. They're leaving for another few weeks. I don't know if you can crash at the Byers' or you might be able to scale the side of my house, you can take my bed -"

"I'll crash at El's. But thank you. Really, you...don't have to."

"It's nice not being in that house alone."

She nods. "I understand. I don't like sleeping alone either."

He's about to ask her something, but Robin's friends are ready to leave and the party is already outside of the record store.

"I'll see you in Hawkins," she says.

"See you."

He looks back at the record store before he leaves and she's watching him.

**

He doesn't see his parents much during the week. They occasionally cross paths in the morning and late at night. They have a family dinner the night before they're supposed to leave and it's mostly silent and awkward. Thankfully, there's no talk of the future.

They leave early in the morning. Once they turn off their street, he gets in his own car and starts driving. He has a routine - drive by Robin's house, then Dustin's, Max's, Lucas', Mike's, Will's.

He sees Kali walking out of the house toward her van. She stops when she notices him. He waves. She walks toward him and he lowers the passenger side window.

"Going somewhere?" she asks.

"No."

"Parents are gone?"

"Yeah, left twenty minutes ago."

She nods. Looks down the road with a pursed mouth. "Does your offer still stand? Staying at your house?"

He smiles, trying not to seem too excited. "Yeah."

"Great. Since you're in the mood to drive, do you mind driving me to work and picking me up?"

He wordlessly unlocks the car.

_The Unforgettable Fire_ has been the staple album in his car for the last few months, which Kali has no respect for because she promptly ejects the tape and begins searching through his glove compartment for more tapes.

"Show some respect for Mr. Bono."

She ignores him. "I don't know how you can listen to that depressing song over and over."

"Which one?"

"_I'm wide awake - _that one. If it's not playing in your room, you're always singing it to yourself. So annoying."

He flushes a little. "It's a good song."

She sighs and takes a tape out. "Now this is what I'm talking about." She puts the tape in and immediately the first riffs of "London Calling" come out of the speakers. "I'm surprised you have this."

"Why? I can be angry."

She raises an eyebrow.

"I don't love them as much as Jonathan does. He's more into punk than I am. I like it in small doses."

"He's not all about punk. He has some choices that he probably doesn't tell anyone."

"Like what?"

"Simon and Garfunkel."

His eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Love that. Shame he didn't share that with me because I wouldn't have judged."

She smiles and increases the volume and nods along to the song.

He doesn't know the album as well as she does, but he surprises himself with how many songs he does know by heart. They only get through half the album by the time he slows to a stop in front of the mall.

He ejects the tape so they can continue listening later and he puts in Don Henley's _How to Build the Perfect Beast_.

Once she figures out what he puts in, she says, "You have such a weird assortment of musical preferences."

"I find it freeing. Not going with what's expected for you."

She hums and gets out of the car, tapping the hood before turning around. He maybe checks her out, but when she turns around it doesn't seem like she hates it, so...that's something.

Despite the wistfulness of "Boys of Summer," he sings along loudly to it with a large grin on his face.

**

When he gets back to Hawkins, he runs for an hour and only stopping to walk twice, so he's close to getting back on track. He makes himself a sandwich for lunch and sits by his pool, reading _The Stranger Beside Me_ and fucking _loving it_ \- how crazy is it that someone could be searching for a killer and coming to the realization that she knew him? He can't wait to reach that point.

Even though he's always preferred being around people, he doesn't mind the quiet sometimes.

Robin rides her bike over to his house and she collapses onto a chair and doesn't say anything, sighing as she turns her face to the sun.

"Is Kali staying with you now that your parents are gone?"

"Yeah."

"Interesting…"

He sighs. "Don't be like Henderson."

"What? I just find it interesting that a girl other than myself wants to spend significant time with you."

He lazily throw up a middle finger, making her laugh.

"But seriously," she starts, still smiling. "What's going on there?"

He's tempted to deny anything, but he pauses when he opens his mouth. "I don't know. We're...hanging out?" He winces.

"Uh, seriously?"

"I don't mean it like _that_, I mean...we're _just_ hanging out. We don't always talk though. Sometimes we just...chill in the same room."

She hums in thought. "Like I said: _interesting_."

He shuts his eyes. "It would be stupid to even do anything since she's going to leave. Especially when El eventually moves - what would keep her here?"

After a few moments, he feels Robin sit by his knee. "You're good enough reason, Steve."

Since he doesn't know how to respond to that genuine statement, he just smiles at her.

"I find it _very interesting_ that you're thinking about _doing anything_ -" she starts, excited.

"I was just _saying_ \- I wasn't _thinking_ it -"

"But clearly you _are_ -"

She's right. He has thought about it. He thinks about it when he gets in his car to pick her up from work. He puts in _London Calling_ so they can finish the album together. He thinks about it when they finish the album in his car, sitting in the Byers' driveway. Once the album is done, she gets out and gets in her van and follows him home.

**

Kali comes into his room with a few tapes.

"I didn't see this in your collection," she says, shaking one tape between her fingers. 

He doesn't recognize the beginning until a whopping five minutes into the song, he thinks it sounds vaguely familiar, but it's not until almost ten minutes into the song when he finally hears _shine on you crazy diamond_ does he say, "Oh! I know this!"

She laughs.

"Damn, I didn't realize this song was so fucking long."

"It's good though, right?"

"Yeah, it is. You know I dig a good synthesizer."

"It's sacrilegious, but I prefer this Pink Floyd album over _Dark Side of the Moon_."

He shrugs. "We all have our preferences."

"You also have no leg to stand on with _your_ preferences. I haven't forgotten you singing that Wham! song in the shower the other week."

"You can't tell me you _never_ get that song stuck in your head!"

"Do I need to find you a signed vinyl of the single?"

He snorts and shakes his head.

The song ends and the second track begins. 

"You know, I think I actually know this album. It reminds me...God, I think the summer I was ten or eleven and visiting random cousins in Cleveland. He wasn't a first cousin he was like a second or third, I don't know, but he was probably in high school and used to always sing this song...is there a cigar song?"

"Yeah, ‘Have a Cigar.'"

He shakes his head in disbelief. "I totally forgot about that."

"It's interesting how music can trigger forgotten memories. When I listen to this album, I think about meeting Dottie and how she felt like ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond' was about her." She smiles fondly.

"Who's Dottie?"

She blinks at him in surprise. "Oh, I guess...alright," she stutters a little. "I'll start from the beginning."

She tells him a little about the lab, how she escaped. She tells him she did bad things to some people, but they deserved it, she knows they did, especially when she knew they were never going to see the inside of a prison cell. (But sometimes the guilt creeps in. Sometimes.) She tells him of the friends she made, the makeshift family that traveled to seek justice. 

"Where are they?"

She exhales. "Dottie is in San Francisco - she's always loved cities and I think she finally feels normal there. Funshine is with her. Mick is in Vegas, I think. She's into scamming over there. Axel goes between Vegas and LA. so we're...in the west coast."

"Are you still going to find more people?"

He looks over at her and she's pointedly staring at the ceiling. "Sometimes I'm just so tired that I don't want to anymore."

_So, so you think you can tell, heaven from hell, blue skies from pain_…

"You know, all summer and really this past month, I keep going back to the music that came out over ten years ago and I couldn't really figure out why. But it's just because I remember listening to ‘Bennie and the Jets' when I was seven years old in the back of my dad's car on a trip from my aunt's house. I remember listening to Steely Dan's discography when I was twelve, while my mom was making dinner on Christmas. It just brings me back to times when…"

"You were safe," she finishes for him softly.

The tears come hot and fast. "It was so much less complicated."

Her eyes bore into him and he can't look away or argue when she adds, "happy."

He doesn't like to think about it, the general sadness he feels clawing his throat sometimes when he's alone, sometimes not. But he'll take this - it doesn't compare to how he felt when he was surrounded by assholes from school.

"God this song is so depressing," she says.

He laughs softly. "Yeah. It's good though."

**

They fall asleep in his bed. They don't talk about it when they wake up. Steve thinks it's just a one-off (well...two-off?) until the next night when he's singing along to "Rio" and going through old school notebooks that he hid in his closet and under his bed. Kali walks inside with a judgmental look, but sits down across from him and picks up a notebook, flipping through it.

"I don't think you understood algebra very well."

"No - a lot of math I didn't unless it involved a real scenario. Thinking of things as numbers and letters was too confusing."

She tosses it in the trash pile. "Makes me feel better about not knowing anything past long division."

He looks up at her. "I'm sure if you went to my school you would've aced everything."

She snorts. "I'd probably skip all the time and be a loser who hangs out under the bleachers."

"You can be that and at least get a B on a math test." He pulls out a Pre-Calc quiz from a notebook that he got a C on. He crumbles it into a fist. "School isn't everything. At least I hope it isn't, even though I have absolutely no idea what I'm gonna do with the rest of my life."

"_Two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,_" she intones.

He grins. "Yeah."

She picks up another notebook - his Geography one, he can tell right away since there's a terribly drawn globe on the front cover. "I'm impressed you knew where to put ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday' in Northern Ireland."

"That helped me do well on the quiz on the UK and Ireland."

He holds out a hand to take the notebook, but she continues to stare at the map. "I vaguely remember watching the BBC and hearing about it. The Troubles. I didn't learn about Bloody Sunday until years after the fact."

"Do you ever think about going back?"

"To London?" She shrugs. "How could I? I don't technically exist. I don't have a passport. Besides, I -" she stops short, clenching her jaw.

"Sorry," he says softly.

She exhales. "I don't know what's there. My family - if they hurt them. If they're dead. If they gave me up."

Her eyes are glassy and he looks away from her to give her privacy, ripping apart a pop quiz he failed. "Your powers could come in handy at the airport," he says, half to himself, half to her.

"What?"

He looks up. "I mean - you can make people see whatever they want, right? I could just get a passport and you can make everyone think you're me."

She blinks then smiles, wide and bright and beautiful.

By the time they finish going through everything, throwing it out in the bins outside, it feels like he's cleaning the slate.

She follows him back into his room and she sits on his bed, picking up _The Stranger Beside Me_ and starting it. Steve picks up _A People's History of the United States_ (it's still a slow read) and after a chapter, he falls asleep.

When wakes up, she's right by him, sleeping.

He's quiet when he gets out of bed, pulling running clothes out of his drawers slowly to bring into the bathroom to change. He tries not to stare at her for very long. He leaves a note for her:

_Going on a run. Be back in 1 hour._

_\- Steve_

_(I realized that was dumb who else would it be)_

He puts his headphones in and goes.


	3. part iii

It's slow, but Steve does manage to run the entire hour. As a reward, he toes off his shoes and jumps into the pool. He hangs underwater for a few seconds, appreciating the muffled silence until he floats to the top, pushing his hair back with his hands.

"It's hot today."

He spins around to the back of the house to see Kali come out in a pair of his shorts and a Hawkins High t-shirt. He swallows thickly.

"Yeah, it really is."

"How was your run?"

"Slow, but good. I ran the whole time. Definitely getting better."

"You should be careful."

"I know. I just don't like not being active."

She sits down at the edge of the pool, slipping her legs into the water. She sighs.

"Can you swim?" he asks.

"Not very well," she admits. "I had some lessons before the lab, but haven't had much reason to swim."

"Well, you have access to a private pool. And not for nothing, but I was told that I should've gone out for the swim team in high school."

She rolls her eyes. "I don't have a suit."

"We can get you one. If you want. It's more comfortable than swimming in clothes, at any rate."

"I'll think about it."

"Tell Max you're considering it and she'll use it as an excuse to shop with El, even though her parents just came around to the fact that she bought El an entire wardrobe on an emergency credit card."

She laughs a little. "Sometimes, it is an emergency. Kind of like when you run out of hairspray."

"Touché."

"Okay, then, show me some strokes."

He laughs out loud and she kicks water at him.

He does a lap of front crawl and explains the arm motions, how the legs are kicking consistently, how you take breaths with every stroke made. She nods along, watching intently as he demonstrates breaststroke, backstroke, the butterfly - that one takes a minute to get the hang of again since he hasn't done it in years. 

"That's a dumb one."

He shrugs his shoulders, not able to argue its use. It was always his least favorite one. She agrees though - that's something.

(He just really hopes she doesn't pick a bikini - he doesn't need encouragement.)

**

A couple days later, after earning her first paycheck, Kali comes by with El with new bathing suits in their hands, tags on them and all.

"Does Mike know where you are?" Steve asks, heading up the stairs to change into his own suit.

"No. Why?"

"I was just surprised he wasn't here trying to bullshit an excuse to be my teaching assistant."

To his surprise and amusement, El laughs.

**

Good news: Kali bought a one-piece (black, of course).

Bad news: Kali is in a bathing suit and it's a lot for him.

He's almost grateful for El's presence. 

"I thought you knew how to swim - you know - the floating and the...thing," Steve stutters.

"I can float. And...paddle. But I don't know how to really swim."

"Can you doggy paddle?" he asks Kali. "If there's something you should know how to do, is be able to tread water."

She moves her hand in a so-so gesture.

So, that's the first thing they do in the shallow end of the pool: tread water. He makes sure they can do it for at least five to ten minutes before he even starts with the front crawl.

El is more trusting with Steve, his hands on her waist as she floats on her stomach, practicing the coordinating of moving her head and arms while kicking at the same time. Kali isn't.

"Kali, we're in maybe three feet of water and I wouldn't let you drown, you have to try to relax," Steve says as she coughs up water she inhaled.

"You can trust Steve," El says from the edge of the pool.

"Hey guys!"

They look over to Mike, who has come in through the back gate. El smiles and is quick to get out of the pool. "Bye! Thanks, Steve!"

"Anytime. Want another lesson tomorrow?"

"Need an assistant?" Mike asks.

"Nope, because she needs to pay attention, dipshit."

Mike throws up a middle finger and Steve waves them goodbye.

Kali's eyeliner is smudged more than usual, halfway down her cheeks. "You know how you think something, you know something, but your body just…" she trails off, grimacing.

"Yeah. I've been told it's called trauma. It does weird shit to your brain and body."

She smiles a little. "You really do carry it well. I know Nancy is bitter about it, but I think it's...really remarkable, honestly."

He swallows over the sudden lump in his throat. "Oh."

She sighs, running her fingers under her cheeks to wipe off the running makeup. "I think I'm done pruning up for today, but the day after tomorrow I'll give it a proper go."

He smiles.

"What?"

"Nothing, just - sometimes you sound really British."

"Speaking of my roots," she starts slowly. "How do you feel about Indian food?"

"Never had it."

"Would you be interested if I tried making some?"

"Depends - what would you make?"

By the time she's done describing the likes of _naan_ (she'll even make garlic naan, which is almost like garlic bread, except no cheese), curries, _tikka masala_, he is starving and intrigued and weirdly enough, honored. 

She has to go shopping for specific ingredients that, unfortunately, Hawkins does not have, but she's excited, he can tell.

And he might need to up his exercises if the food is really good as she's describing.

**

"You don't have to," Steve starts after they've changed out of their suits and showered, "but we can share a bed, if you want."

He's tempted to explain it - the nightmares, sometimes grounding to have someone share a space with you. It was good for Nancy for a bit until it wasn't, and the random sleepovers on Mike's basement floor were surprisingly nice, and Robin - occasionally napping on the couch with their legs tangled.

And Kali.

He doesn't fully know her demons and he guesses she doesn't fully know his, but they seem to be on the same page in a way that he thinks, for a split second, that Nancy and Jonathan are. 

Which is...not good. Technically. 

_Shit_.

**

They fall asleep close to midnight and she wakes up at eight to go to work. He's only conscious enough to wish her a good day at work. He wakes up again at ten and then realizes that was...very married couple like.

He exhales loudly and gets up to go running.

**

He bumps into Robin on her bike just as he turns the corner.

"Can you put off running? I'm _bored_." Her eyes are wide and she seems to be vibrating on her bike.

"It's not even eleven, how the hell are you bored?"

"I woke up at six, drank a _lot_ of coffee, and cleaned my room and now I'm _wired_."

"Then run with me for a half hour - we can talk and run."

"_You_ may be able to talk and run, but I cannot."

"We'll run slow!"

"Fine."

She dumps her bike in his front yard and he takes off his headphones, letting them hang around his neck.

She takes her time walking up to him, to which she responds to his judgmental stare with, "I'm conserving energy!"

To his word, he starts very slow.

"Kali and I are officially sharing a bed," he starts, figuring it'll be a good way to distract her.

She gasps. "_What_?"

"We just keep ending up in my bed -"

She gasps again.

"_Not_ like that and I just. Offered to make it a regular thing, and she agreed."

"You are literally playing _house_ right now."

"I know. She woke up before me and I said ‘have a good day at work.'"

She makes a face.

"I know. It's like I'm thirty or something."

She pants a little as they run in silence for a bit. "Steve."

"Yeah?"

"You know -"

"Yeah, I know. It's…" he exhales. "I should say it's messed up. It is. But it's not. At all."

"I don't want you to get hurt."

"I can handle it like a champ."

"I know."

"Good! Do you think you're ready to go faster?"

"Definitely not -"

"Okay!"

He picks up the pace and she curses at him.

**

They stop by Dustin's house and Mrs. Henderson has leftover waffles, which are amazing. Robin - who had stopped talking to him after the first mile - now is talking to him again. He makes the smart choice in not making fun of her red cheeks and how her freckles stand out.

Dustin is rambling about D&D, how they started a game last night when they were bored and rediscovered their love of it, which Steve is sure Will appreciates.

"What are your plans for today?"

"Weathertop - I scheduled a time to speak with Suzie. I really missed her."

"Well, tell her we said hi," Robin says.

Once they've finished eating, Robin pleads Steve to just walk back to his house, but he convinces her that they have newfound energy and that they can do it!

"I hate you, I hate you," she says between pants.

"Jesus, are you trying to kill your only friend who's your age?" Lucas calls out on his bike.

Max, who is on her skateboard, snorts. Robin uses this interaction as an excuse to stop moving, bending forward, trying to breathe.

"You're better off standing up straight and looking up - it opens the chest for air," Steve explains to Robin before focusing back on Lucas. "Running is a lifelong sport, Sinclair, remember that. What are you guys doing?"

"Max's parents are out for the day, so…"

"And Mike is with…"

"El," Max finishes for him.

"Got it. Well, have fun."

Everyone grimaces at the same time.

"Bye," Steve says, running forward.

Robin wimpers.

By the time they make it to Steve's block, Steve and Robin are walking. Steve can always make up the lost time later and he does want Robin to still be his friend.

"Hey, isn't that one of the kids' bikes?" she asks, pointing to his front yard.

He's not surprised that it's Will's.

"Yeah. It's Will's."

"Should I go?"

"No, it's okay. The more the merrier might be better in this case."

Robin throws out an arm, her hand smacking against his chest to stop him a few feet away from his mailbox. "Harrington. Dustin is trying to reach his girlfriend via radio. Mike and El are hanging out. Lucas and Max are hanging out. I think my being there is going to be rubbing it in his face."

"We're not a couple."

"Will might not see it that way."

"He might if -"

"I'm _not_ telling him, can you back off?" Robin snaps.

The silence rings in his ears. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean -"

"I know - I'm just tired and my bra is starting to chafe and - I'll just see you tomorrow. We can hang out in your pool?"

He nods.

"Okay. Bye, Steve."

Robin picks up her bike and rolls it off his yard. "I'm never going running with you again, by the way," she says with forced lightness. 

He tries to smile back. "And here I thought I went easy on you."

She laughs a little and leaves him.

He squeezes his eyes shut and rubs his face dry, running his hands through his hair. "Okay," he says in an exhale. 

When he crosses the front yard, he notices the back gate open, so he heads into the house to change into his swim trunks and put on his Ray Bans before going out to the pool where Will doing the breaststroke and to be honest, the kid has very fine form.

"I should start charging you shits a fee," Steve says when Will stops at one end of the pool.

Will smiles weakly and looks around Steve. "Where's Robin? I saw her bike."

"Oh, she left."

"Sorry, if -"

"I made her go on a run with me and now she hates me. At least for the rest of the day," Steve continues, kind of lies a little.

"You made her _run_?" Will asks in disbelief. 

"She said she was wired and I was about to start when we bumped into each other, so…" Steve trails off with a shrug. "Where's Jonathan?"

"With Nancy. Mom's working. El's with Mike."

Steve nods. "You looked good swimming - do you want to go out for a swim team?"

_When you move_ is left unsaid since there's a level of denial happening within the party that Steve isn't going to ruin. Especially when he's taking part in it himself.

"I don't know. I probably won't make a team."

"Hey, you never know. Can't hurt to try."

"Jonathan would lose his shit if I did a sport."

"Yeah, well, maybe he shouldn't judge something he never did," Steve says a little more sharply than intended.

Will stares at him with his wide, brown eyes. "I told Jonathan. About...you know."

Steve blinks. "Oh, that's - great. I hope?"

"Yeah. He didn't care. Said I was still his brother, he still loved me. He asked if I told anyone else. I lied and said no. I mean, I should've told him first, but I was too scared of him maybe hating me."

Steve knows that he's closer to Lucas, Max, and Dustin out of the party, but he's always thought he had good relationships with Mike and Will, even though their older siblings were Nancy and Jonathan and there was a history there.

But he thinks Will admitted that telling Steve wasn't a risk because if Steve did end up hating him for being gay, then it wouldn't be a total loss. It's messed up, but that kind of hurts.

"Jonathan told me what you called him."

"What?" Steve asks, confused.

"Queer. You called him a queer."

Oh, right. Two years ago. "That wasn't my best moment. I'm sorry I said it. I haven't said it since," Steve says quietly.

"He was worried in case I decided to tell more people. I told him I knew you weren't like that."

Steve wets his bottom lip and nods. "Thanks."

"And if you could not tell him -"

"I won't. Promise. I'm - I'm really thirsty, after running, do you want water or a pop?"

"Coke would be great. Thanks."

Steve gives himself a moment in the kitchen to breathe before coming back outside again.

**

Will admits he struggles with diving, so Steve helps him out until he's gotten the hang of it. Steve makes him a sandwich with the last of the cold cuts and while he scavenges the house for snacks to eat, the phone rings.

"Harrington residence," Steve answers as he munches on some crackers.

"_Hey Steve, it's Jonathan. Is Will with you?_"

"Yep."

"_Okay, great. I'll come and get him._"

Steve looks over at Will, who is bringing his plate to the dishwasher and putting it in. "Hey, Will, your brother is on the phone. He says he can get you."

"Okay!" Will says brightly.

Steve turns away from him and runs a hand through his hair. "Okay. I fed him, so."

"_Ah, great, there isn't much here, my mom said she'd go grocery shopping, but it slipped her mind. I'll be there in ten._"

"Sure."

Jonathan comes by without Nancy, which is surprising since they always seem to be attached at the hip, especially when he's around. It's as if they think that being alone with Steve is more awkward than being all together. Steve thinks seeing them alone is less so, but hey. What does he know.

"Thanks, Steve," Jonathan half-says, half-mumbles, his face a little pink.

Ah, well, okay.

"No problem. Taught him how to dive."

Will grins.

"Oh, cool. You always struggled with that," Jonathan says, smiling a little. "Let's go - we've got some new albums to listen to. Bye, Steve."

"Bye!" Will says.

Steve waves.

Once they're gone, Steve grabs his car keys and drives to Robin's house. There's another car that doesn't belong to anyone in the Buckley home, but he still goes to the front door and knocks. Her mom answers and he appreciates that she always seems so thrilled to see him.

"Hi Mrs. Buckley, is Robin here? I just wanted to ask her a quick question."

"Yes, she's right upstairs with Ashley and Jacquie, you can go on up."

He's racking his brain for an Ashley in his grade and by the time he makes it up the stairs, he thinks it's someone that sat in the front of his freshman year English class. Robin's door is cracked open, so he knocks and says, "Robin? It's Steve - do you have a second?"

He hears her scramble to stand up and she opens the door wide enough to only show her face, which is panicked

"Everything's fine. I just need two seconds."

She exhales in relief and opens the door further.

Jacquie and Ashley are on the floor, going over a magazine. Jacquie smiles and Ashley looks surprised.

"Hi," he says.

"Hi," Jacquie responds.

"Sorry to interrupt - just need to borrow her for a second."

"I'm going to get another pop," Jacquie says, getting to her feet. Ashley scrambles to follow her. "Say hi to Dustin for me."

"Will do."

Once they go down the stairs, Robin sighs again. "What is it?" she asks, tired.

He makes his way into her room. "Okay," he starts quietly. "I'm just going to spit it out. Two years ago, I...I called someone a," he lowers his voice even further, "queer." He raises it a little again. "I never said it again. I felt - still feel horribly about it."

She blinks a few times ."Okay...did you apologize?"

"Well, I mean...we ended up killing some monsters and saved the world, so. We're okay?"

"Jonathan," she surmises.

He nods.

She shrugs. "Okay, so, what are you looking for from me? Do you want me to forgive you? Say it's okay? Because it wasn't. I'm glad you realize it was wrong, but that's the thing. You shouldn't forget how bad it is. What made you bring this up?"

"Will told Jonathan. And Jonathan warned him not to tell me."

She winces. "I take it Will didn't tell Jonathan that he already did."

"No. He basically admitted that he should've told his brother first, but he was afraid of a bad reaction. And hey, if I handled it badly, at least it wouldn't have meant much."

Her eyes soften. "Steve. I don't think that's what he meant."

"Yes it was. Which is fine, I get it, he's obviously going to put his brother above everyone. I just...I thought maybe I worth more than a test run."

She puts her hands on his shoulders. "I want you to listen to me. I'm saying this out of love because I care about you and think you're great and I know you're coming from a good place."

He nods for her to continue.

"But you need to stop being a selfish bastard. Coming out isn't about you. It's about the person. And if they feel safe or secure or whatever enough to come out. I mean, would I have come out to you if I was a hundred percent sober? I don't know, probably would've psyched myself out, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have told you at all - I could've told you a week later, at the end of the summer. Either way, it was about me."

He feels his cheeks heat with shame.

"_But_. But. You empowered him to tell his brother. Because you were supportive and validating - he felt capable of telling his brother. And if you reacted that way, then maybe it wasn't so crazy for his brother to do the same."

"What about you?" he asks.

She moves her hands to his face. "Someday."

He exhales. He doesn't know why, but he kind of feels like crying.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asks.

"Yeah! Yeah, absolutely, sorry for interrupting -"

"It's fine, are you - do you want to stay for a bit, I mean Ashley will get over the shock eventually -"

"It's okay, really. At least let her sit with the idea for a week or something."

She smiles in amusement. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I am sorry about the running thing -"

"Oh, stop," Robin says, pushing him. "I agreed to it like a psychopath. But I have a newfound appreciation for how much work and dedication it takes for your abs." She pats them for good measure.

"That made my day, thank you."

She hugs him for good measure then kicks him out. He makes sure to say goodbye to Mrs. Buckley, who tells him to take a cookie - she's made the first of many batches for a fundraising event at her temple and she wants his honest opinion.

It's a chocolate chip and peanut butter cookie and it's (thankfully) delicious, which makes her happy. 

"Do you need help? With the fundraiser - getting the cookies there, or…"

"Oh! I'm not sure - let me check in with the other moms and I'll let you know. You're so sweet, such a gentleman."

Robin will murder him, probably. "Have a great rest of the day, Mrs. Buckley."

"You too!"

**

He goes home, the silence driving him crazy within the first ten minutes and he's out the door in five, going on another run.

**

He showers and blasts more music from when he was twelve or ten or six because sometimes, like lately, right now, he really wishes he could not give a shit about his hair and his abs and not fucking worry about his future.

"_Fuck_," he hisses when he takes off his shirt to shower, his ribs sore.

He takes a quick shower and barely dries his hair to go to Melvald's thirty minutes before closing to pick up ice packs.

There's only one other customer in the store. And there's Mrs. Byers restocking paperclips.

"Oh," she says, startled. "Hi, Steve."

He swallows. "I'm sorry for what I said. It was...really...not my place at all."

"Oh, hun, it's okay. I know it's out of love," she says, turning to face him properly. "It's going to be difficult, but this town, it's just...I need my kids to be safe. And I think we all need a fresh start."

"I get it."

He should understand more than anyone else - live somewhere else that doesn't know what a fucking asshole he was.

She gives him a smile and brings him into a hug. He shuts his eyes and it's nice, almost, except for the oncoming tears, but thankfully, or not, he's torn on what to feel when he hears Mrs. Byers sniffle.

"It's so hard to be here without him," she whispers.

Hopper.

The only other adult who knows about all the crazy and now he's gone. He's a selfish moron. "I understand," he says, squeezing her. "I'm really sorry."

She pulls back and she wipes the tears from under her eyes and she rings him up. He has a sudden headache behind his eye - the one that's almost healed, but not quite - and he considers going on a drive - long enough to take him across multiple state borders until he hits a red light and passes by two teammates and one of their girlfriends who's a cheerleader.

"Hey, Harrington! What's up? You free tonight? Greg C. is having a party."

Steve thinks about it. "He's on Birch Street, right?"

"Yeah."

"Need a ride?"

They all pile in and the music is blasting and they're yelling over the music. It's good.

Greg C. lives two streets away from Steve, so he doesn't mind parking his car in front of the house. There are lights on, but the curtains are drawn. He can't hear anything - that basement is soundproof.

"We missed you man!" one of them - Pete - says with an easy arm around his shoulders.

Sure they did.

Steve puts on a grin and takes the first offered shot with ease.

**

They really missed being paired with him in beer pong since he can usually carry anyone to victory. He's also great at flip cup and being the life of the party. He forgot how much easier the alcohol made everything. He tries not to think of Nancy slurring her words, calling him bullshit.

The music thumps through speakers and after tossing a ball into the last cup, he dances away, spins someone. There's a flashing light and he puts on his sunglasses and downs the beer he has in his hand.

At one point, there's a hand on his arm and it's -

"Whoa, hey," he says. "How'd you know I was here?"

Kali looks around the room with mild distaste. "I saw your car parked in front. And saw someone vomiting in the bushes." He sways to the music. "Are you alright?" she asks.

"Oh, I'm _so_ good," he insists.

"It's loud outside. The cops are going to be called soon enough. We should go."

He pouts. "You think?"

"Yes."

"Okay, okay, let's go." He offers her his beer. "Want some?"

"I'll wait until we get home."

"_Home_," he repeats, happy.

Her grip on his hand is tight as she leads him out of the basement. His ears are ringing and he stumbles out of the front door, but it's good to breathe in fresh air.

"Where are your keys?"

He pats his chest, his back pockets, then his front ones, finding them in his left pocket. She takes them and opens the passenger side door for him, letting him hit his head on the frame of the car with a snort. She drives his car the two minutes to his house and helps him out.

"How was work today?" he asks as she unlocks his front door.

"Long, but I got paid. So I got groceries for Indian food. I was going to make it tonight, but I think it's best to stick with food you know to soak up the alcohol."

"It's too quiet in here," he says as soon as they cross the threshold. "Let's blast some music."

"Sure, let me just make a phone call," she agrees, going to his phone. He watches her in fascination. "Hello?" she says in an affected American accent. "I was walking down Birch Street and house number six is very loud and I saw a kid vomiting outside. I think they're having a party." Pause. "Alright, thank you so much." She hangs up. 

"When you said you thought the cops were going to come…"

"I meant that I would definitely be calling the cops."

He laughs. "I like you."

She smiles softly. "C'mon. I'll make you something to eat."

He gapes at her. "You will?"

"You're actually kind of cute when drunk, so yeah."

"Wow, really?"

She laughs a little. "Sit down. I'll put on some music. What do you want?"

"Something to groove to."

"_Groove_?" she snorts. "Okay."

She puts on _Honky Chateau_ and he says, "I like you," again.

He hears the cops driving past the house and she hums while she makes him eggs and toast.

"What brought you over there?" she asks.

"I bumped into teammates while in town. Didn't want to come back to an empty house. I won three rounds of beer pong."

"Impressive." She adds dried chives to his eggs. "I know you want to be here for the kids, but what about you?'

"What do ya mean?"

"You hate it here. For good reason - it's a narrow-minded town that's too small. And you're better than that."

"Where am I gonna go?" he asks.

She shrugs. "Anywhere you want."

He rests heavily on his hand. "Where could you see me?"

She hums in thought and plates him food. It looks amazing and it takes a lot of patience to wait until it's cool enough to eat. "I can see you in California. You'd fit right in with your hair."

"Cowabunga."

"Do you like cities?"

He shrugs. "Yeah, they're fun. Don't seem like a real place though. Especially New York - I mean the thought of people actually living there is crazy to me."

"I spent some time in New York. It doesn't feel real. Like it's a set from a movie."

He looks up at her. "I was still alone. I thought it would feel better, but it didn't."

"You outgrew them a while ago."

He nods, going back to eating his eggs. "I'm still the undisputed king of beer pong at least."

"That's very important."

He looks up at her again and she's fighting back a smile. "One day, you'll see."

"What, you're going to train a bunch of fourteen year olds?"

His jaw drops. _Genius._

**

"Okay, little shits, since you're going to be entering high school, this is a skill that you should have on the off chance that you're invited to a party and there's beer pong," Steve explains two days later, walking along the length of the table and back again in his backyard.

Will is still dripping wet from having swam in the pool earlier, hence this lesson taking place outside.

"This is with water though," Mike points out, rolling his eyes for the fifth time.

"Because I'm not giving you alcohol, _duh_."

"But isn't the whole point of the game is to be able to get the ball into the cups while inebriated?" Dustin asks.

"You know what, smart ass, you have to learn the skills sober well enough that eventually they'll be automatic even when you've had a few. So, pay attention. It's all about wrist, you're not _chucking_ it -"

There's a reason why these kids aren't athletic - their hand-eye coordination skills aren't the best - except Lucas and Max actually pick it up pretty quickly. El is frustrated, but Steve knows that's because of her lack of powers - she'd be able to get everything in if they were working properly.

The best of them is Will though. Between that and the swimming - if Will is just a little more confident - he might be a little popular in the next school he goes to. 

Mike stares at Will like he's beginning to not recognize him.

"Thanks for teaching us this important life skill," Max says, full of sarcasm. "But it's fun."

They abandon him after two hours, but Steve at least feels better knowing that they won't potentially make fools of themselves if they ever get invited to some sort of party during high school.

"You know they'll never get invited to one of the parties you went to, right?" Robin says after they've all left.

"Will might. When they move," Kali says.

Robin raises her eyebrows.

"If he makes a swim team, he might go to parties."

Robin exhales, smiling. "Jonathan Byers' little brother - popular? That would be interesting. But…" she trails off, her smile fading. "You really want him to hide what he is?"

"What a nerd he is?" Kali guesses.

"I'm just giving him options. He's going to be starting _high school_ with no friends beyond El. It would be good if he joined a team - a built-in set of friends. People to sit with at lunch, things to do during the week and weekends. I know jocks aren't exactly _well liked _by most of this crew, but…"

Robin gives him a pointed look. He knows what she means - his being gay. How it's going to be that much harder to hide or to admit to other people, but…

"There's time for him to embrace all aspects of himself after high school," Steve says. "Let's just get through that."

"Is Will gay?" Kali asks, blunt.

Robin chokes on her pop.

"What makes you think that?" he asks.

"Well, you guys are not subtle right now, for one. Two, I think Will was checking out Mike, in hindsight."

Steve exhales and brings a hand to the bridge of his nose.

"I don't care, it's just...he's probably going to need a lot of support."

"Maybe they'll move to California or New York or something?" Steve asks, hopeful.

"They're not, they're looking at Illinois," Kali states.

"Fuck." He drops his hand. "This part of the country sucks."

They murmur in agreement.

**

Kali manages to swim that afternoon. His hands on her waist and she trusts him enough to put her face into the water with every stroke. His hands maybe linger a little too long when she straightens up.

**

Kali is cooking dinner - _tikka masala_. It smells amazing and he likes watching her make that and rice, so he's not worried about it.

He's startled out of his peace when he hears a series of knocks on the front door.

She looks at him, confused.

He shrugs, but gets off his chair and heads to the door. He looks through the peephole and is surprised to see Jonathan there.

"Hey," Steve greets him, confused. "Did Will forget something here?"

"What are you playing at?" Jonathan demands, quiet, his body tense and oh, he's angry.

Steve steps outside and closes the door part of the way behind him. "What do you mean?"

"The swimming, the _beer pong_ lessons - what are you doing? Do you want him to become an asshole?"

"It's good to have other interests besides D&D."

"He's always loved that, why are you trying to change him? So he can be a jock like _you_ were?"

"I wanted to give him some _damn_ options, Byers," Steve argues. "He didn't have a choice in getting kidnapped and being called _zombie boy_ for over two years. It would be nice, when he moves to a new town and having a clean slate, that he has a _choice_. He can be a dork, he can try out for a team, he can do both, he can do whatever he wants - as long as that's what it is."

"What, you want him to be like _you_? Calling people who are a little weird _queer_?" He hisses the last word. "Will is _my_ brother. You'll never know him like I do and what you think is helpful? Isn't. You're just going to make it more complicated for him."

Steve bites back what he's tempted to say: _your brother told me first, you know_, but that's what he would've done two years ago. Now, he's -

"I think you should leave."

Steve cranes his head to see Kali standing a few feet behind him looking righteously pissed.

He turns back to face Jonathan. "I'm fully aware that I'm just a babysitter. Thanks for making sure I'm put back in my place."

Jonathan winces. "That's not -"

"Make sure to tell Nancy she doesn't have to worry about Mike either. She can save herself a trip." He tries to smile, but it's definitely more of a grimace. "Oh, and for the record, maybe Will will stop hanging out here if you're a little more available. Just a suggestion. Okay? Bye, Jonathan, see you around."

And he shuts the door in his gobsmacked face.

Steve turns on his heel to face Kali with a large, fake smile. "Dinner smells amazing, really."

She wordlessly walks toward him and hugs him tightly.

"Hey, I don't want - let's eat, yeah? Let's eat?" he insists softly, pulling out of her hold. "Please?" A hand finds its way to her face and she nods, stepping out of his space.

The food is amazing and different and it's like flavors _explode_ in his mouth. She seems happy with his response, chewing with a smile on her face.

After a few minutes of eating in silence, Kali says, deadpan, "When I got a tour of the Byers' home and I saw Jonathan's room, I said I hated REM. He has a huge poster of _Murmur_ in it. He looked like I killed his pet dog."

He chokes on his water, laughing.

**

She holds him, later. He tells her when he dated Nancy, how Jonathan took creepy photos of her and it's something that he really can't get over even if Nancy forgave him. It's _weird_. And invasive. And maybe that makes him a hypocrite - he only wants to be considered for how he's been over the last year and a half - shouldn't he extend the same courtesy to Jonathan? Yeah, he did replace the camera he broke and included him after that first encounter, but sometimes he thinks about those pictures and how fucked up it was.

She nods in understanding, her jaw clenched. "Those years in that lab. I was looked at without permission. My consent never mattered. It's very easy for men to behave that way."

"I'm sorry."

"I hope he's learned his lesson."

"Yeah. I mean, we'll never be actual friends, but. It's kind of hard to hate someone that you constantly end up working with to save the world. Besides, if he helped Nancy, who I know was in a bad place, then he's not all bad."

She leans in and presses her forehead to his. "You're a good man, Steve Harrington."

He smiles, his heart racing in his chest. "You're a badass."

"I like that."

He'd like to say that she's also nice and supportive, but he doesn't. She's guarded to an extreme degree and he thinks she can read his mind sometimes, so she probably knows how he feels and doesn't need it said out loud.

(At least he hopes so.)

**

He swears he felt her run a hand through his hair early in the morning. He's willing to bet his bat on it. 


	4. part iv

Steve hates the expression ‘all good things must come to an end.' He always found it condescending, probably because it's always said by adults.

But now he feels it when he gets a call from Dustin while Kali is teaching him how to use the oven.

"_They sold the house. It's done_," Dustin says, his voice cracking. 

Steve's grip on the phone loosens. "Oh."

Dustin sniffles. "_They found a house in Illinois three hours away. They're looking at it tomorrow._"

"I'm sorry," Steve says, hating to hear him cry on the phone. "Do you want me to come over there? Or do you want to go to -"

"_Can you take me to Mike's house?_"

"Yeah, be there soon."

He hangs up and Kali looks at him with a furrowed brow.

"They sold the house," he tells her.

She exhales slowly. "I should go."

"Yeah, me too."

They wordlessly go their separate ways.

When Steve arrives at Dustin's house, his eyes are red and his nose is running. Steve hugs him for a minute before driving him to Mike's house. On his way home, he spots Lucas and Max making their way to Mike's house too. Max is visibly crying, wiping her eyes as she rolls down the street, a little behind Lucas.

Steve ends up at a stop sign for too long, his thoughts racing and he doesn't leave his car after he parks it in front of his house, not for a good twenty minutes, playing "Bad" on repeat until Kali knocks softly on his window.

He lowers the window since that's the only effort he's willing to make.

"They're moving out in three weeks," she tells him. "They're pretty sure the house they're looking at tomorrow is the one. It's a three bedroom house, but they figure with Jonathan moving out in a year, it'll be okay if Will and Jonathan shared a room."

He doesn't want to ask, but he can't help himself: "You'll be leaving too, then."

"I was never supposed to stay here," she reminds him, surprisingly gentle.

"You fit in pretty well though."

She smiles a little. And then tells him about a Chinese restaurant near the mall she works at being delicious - _do you want to go on a drive_?

He agrees and they don't speak.

**

While running early the next morning, he passes by the party, all riding their bikes (and skateboard). They wave to him silently. Their faces are all blotchy and their eyes are red. He stops running to ask if they need him, but they've already turned off the street.

**

Steve is going food shopping, determined to figure out how to cook something for Kali when he bumps into Nancy.

She doesn't look much better than the kids.

"Hey," he says.

"Hey," she says, sounding congested. She furrows her brow. "What are you doing here?"

He looks down at his half-full cart, lifts his hand that's holding a piece of paper with his grocery list. "Shopping?"

She shuts her eyes, shakes her head. "Right."

"Trying to learn how to cook," he explains, feeling a little guilty for his first response. He hasn't been here alone in his life;; the last time he went was when he was a kid with his mom. "I hope that's not your goal," he tries to joke.

She smiles briefly. "No, I'm just doing my mom a favor. I needed to do something."

"Yeah."

They start walking down an aisle he's already been down.

"I'm sorry about what I said," she blurts. "That was really cruel of me."

He shrugs. "We all handle our shit differently."

"Yeah, but I was never fair to you about how you handled yours."

"To be fair, you saw more than I did."

"That's not the point, Steve. And I think at this point, we're pretty even."

He stops walking. "Look, Nancy. It's okay. I forgive you. I forgave you a while ago. It's fine," he says with insistence. 

She bites her bottom lip and nods. "Okay."

They start walking again. 

"How's Jonathan taking it?" he asks.

She inhales and exhales. "He's...upset. But honestly, I think he's handling it better than all of them. I don't know, it's like...he's not worried."

"About what?"

She winces. "Us, I mean, we'd be long distance. And I don't know about college, and - I'm sorry, I don't need to be talking about this with you."

"Well, who else will you talk about it with? I'm one of the few who understands the shit we've been through and how that connects all of us. It's gonna hurt when we lose Will and El and Jonathan and Mrs. Byers."

"Yeah, I...I guess you're right."

"I'd think that would be a good thing."

"What would?"

"That he's not worried about what the distance can do to you guys. He knows you'll get through it."

Her tears come fast and she does her best to wipe them away. "Sorry," she says, sniffling. 

He always said that he loved Nancy - he still thinks he did - but sometimes, when contending with the force between Jonathan and Nancy, he wonders if Nancy was a little right - that it kind of was bullshit.

"I'd trust Jonathan since he's really smart. And you are too, so."

"Thanks, Steve."

"No problem."

She opens her mouth to ask something, but he thinks he's reached his limit and he's really proud of himself by putting away his heartbreak over her - he doesn't want to risk opening old wounds. "I better keep shopping."

"Oh," she says, a little disappointed. "Okay. I'm sure I'll see you."

"Yeah. Bye, Nancy."

She lifts her hand from the bar to wave goodbye.

He finishes the rest of his list in twenty minutes.

**

College.

Fucking _college_.

He's managed to erase that from his brain for most of the summer and now he can't stop thinking about it.

Steve groans out loud.

"What the hell was that for?"

He rolls his head over to see Robin with her magazine resting against her stomach, staring at him with a judgmental raised brow.

"My lack of future."

She pushes her sunglasses on top of her head. "I know this is the worst kind of conversation to have in the summer, but. Do you have an idea of what you want? To do when you, well, I guess we're already _grown_, technically, but. As an adult, careerwise."

It is the worst conversation to have, especially since he's successfully managed to blast it out of his mind until now and it's basically knocking him out.

"Honestly? No idea. We both know I'm the sharpest tool in the box."

"Shed."

"What?"

"It's ‘sharpest tool in the shed,' or ‘brightest bulb in the box.'"

"Uh, I think you can argue that a tool can be in a box."

She laughs a little. "Okay, fine. I'll give it to you." Pause. "And you're not _stupid_, Harrington. Not every job requires booksmarts."

"Yeah, I just. Don't know what I want. I always thought I'd just work for my dad. He owns a consulting business for hotel chains. That's why he's always traveling."

"Sounds…" she trails off.

"Boring. It's boring. He doesn't even go to cool places. He just travels to random cities in the US. The best place he ever went to Fort Lauderdale, which isn't Miami, but at least it's by a beach."

She nods. "Despite you having _no_ game, I do think you're good with people. Hospitality might work. But you definitely need college."

He groans.

"But…"

He waits a few seconds for her to continue. When she doesn't, he prompts her by clearing his throat.

"The way you are with these kids - despite the massive amounts of cursing - you're really good with them. Like you have a gift when it comes to relating to them. Meeting them where they are."

"I couldn't be a teacher," he says at once.

"I wasn't thinking teacher. Or at least, not academic. Maybe PE. You're athletic. You could be a coach."

He hadn't thought about that at all. Most of his PE teachers were losers, but he did like his high school basketball coach, who doubled as an Algebra teacher.

Suddenly, she starts laughing out loud.

"What?" he asks a little defensively.

"I just imagined you as a deputy sheriff coming into the middle school to talk about not doing drugs," she snorts. 

"Do you hate me that much?"

She continues to laugh and eventually, he laughs too.

"Deputy Dingus has a nice ring to it," Robin points out in between a new fit of laughter.

"Shut _up_."

(He'll think about that. Later.)

**

The following day, Robin wordlessly hands him brochures for the community college she's attending. He raises his eyebrows at her.

She shrugs. "I could use a friend at school."

"I think I'm going to need to start working again."

She beams. "My thoughts exactly."

**

Kali reads through the brochures during dinner. She's made a dish called _dhokla_ for breakfast in the morning, which he thought looked like yellow building blocks at first glance, but it's tasty and goes really well with a chutney so he's eating more for dinner while she's eating half a sandwich she took home from work.

"Do you want to go back to school?" she asks.

He shrugs. "Not really. I didn't love school. But I think I might need something else besides my high school diploma." He suddenly snorts. "Robin suggested I become a sheriff, but that would mean staying here. And I don't think I want that."

"But if you go to school, you'll have to stay here."

"Yeah, but it'll be two years. Maybe four."

The kids don't really need him - but -

"I guess...I can't really imagine leaving until the kids do."

"Four years is a long time."

"I know." He sighs. "I just don't know."

"Frustrating, isn't it."

He looks at her and she's smiling. "So frustrating."

They start snorting-laughing at the table and that's the end of that conversation, although he comes to the decision that he might just wait a semester. He doesn't think he's ready to start classes again in September, even though it's almost weird - the concept of not going back to school in September. But it's also freeing, in a way.

**

Kali puts in her two weeks notice.

Steve thinks about kissing her a stupid amount of the time. 

It's juvenile, probably.

He complains about it to Robin when they're helping out her mom with the aftermath of some event that was held at their temple.

"Aren't you _Steve Harrington_? You had a reputation in school - I saw you in action more times than I care to admit - what's the problem?" she asks as they're sweeping the floor.

"It doesn't seem genuine? I don't know. I don't want to _charm_ her, or whatever I did. I really like her."

She stops sweeping. "Aw." She brings a hand to her heart.

"Shut up."

"Then just tell her! Be an adult! Admit your feelings!"

"What's the point? She'll be gone in two weeks and that would just make it worse."

She shakes her head and continues sweeping.

"Besides," he starts, his face turning warm. "She probably doesn't like me like that anyway. Why would she?"

He goes back to sweeping until she is standing right in front of him with a hand on her hip.

"If I were to wake up tomorrow suddently attracted to guys, you would be at the top of my list, Steve Harrington. Not Michael J. Fox or Don Johnson. If Kali doesn't like you, she's a fool." She leans forward. "Also, not for nothing, but girls don't share bed with guys unless they like them."

"So...you're saying go for it?"

"I'm saying that you're most likely not going to be rejected." She grimaces. "I hate double-negatives. You will most likely get some. Just remember - foreplay."

"You know, I've actually had sex before. I used to have it a lot."

She grimaces again. "Gross."

"Dare I ask about _your_ experience?"

Her cheeks turn a little pink. "Fine. You got me there."

"But don't worry, I know how to treat the ladies right."

"Now I'm nauseous."

He laughs. "Maybe I can give you some pointers when the time comes."

"Honestly doubting it at this point," she admits.

"Uh, you're beautiful and you're smart and funny. As soon as you get out of here, you're going to need a phonebook to keep track of all your suitors."

"_Suitors_? I think you need to stop hanging out with those nerds."

"I know, I'm starting to sound like them. People are going to assume I'm booksmart - can't have that."

They burst out laughing, Robin resting her forehead against his shoulder, nearly causing him to fall back.

"What's so funny over there?" Mrs. Buckley calls from the other end of the room.

"Nothing! Sorry," Robin calls out, wiping her eyes. "I think we need to find another job."

"We do," he says at once.

As nice as the rest of the summer has been without employment, it would be nice to work with Robin again, making fun of customers.

**

"We'll see," he says once they've finished cleaning up.

"Go get her."

**

He does not ‘go get her.'

If he were being positive, he'd say he was respecting her space and not maybe pressuring her since he is providing a roof over her head. Couldn't it be seen as some messed up transaction - _I house you, you suck my dick?_ Or something gross like that.

But really, he's mostly just a chicken. He can at least admit that, unlike Marty McFly.

**

Two days before the Byers family is due to move, Robin calls him.

"_I have good news._"

"Okay?"

"_I got a job interview for us at Family Video. It's perfect - we can stand around, we don't have to wear a ridiculous uniform - just a vest - and we can eat the snacks._"

Steve barely has the attention span to watch a television episode, so he hasn't seen a lot of movies in their entirety. He thinks that might be a problem, but he'll ignore it. "Great!"

"_Bad news - it's at 10am. When they're due to leave._"

"Oh."

"_I tried to move it, but they were insistent since I guess a lot of people are trying to apply for jobs in town due to all the stores reopening -_"

"I get it," he interrupts her. "That's fine. We'll just get our goodbyes in beforehand."

"_I'm really sorry_."

"Don't - it's great that you found us a job. So, I'll pick you up twenty minutes before?"

"_Yeah, thanks. Uh, so when are you planning on going to see them? I'd like to maybe say goodbye too._"

"Oh yeah, uh, not sure. I think they're going to be sleeping on the Byers' floor the night before, but today is going to be all about Mike's basement. Are you around all day?"

"_Yeah, just doing some reading for one of my English classes._"

"I was thinking about going over there for a little after lunch."

"_Okay, I'll meet you there._"

"Great."

A little confused, he hangs up.

**

Steve and Robin weirdly arrive at the same time. They let themselves in and Will bumps into them on his way out of the kitchen, a pop in his hand. "Hi guys," he says, sad.

"Hey," Steve says.

"I can't stay for long," Robin blurts, "and I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I wanted to say goodbye, since I'm going to be at orientation all day tomorrow, so."

"Okay," Will says, trying to smile and doing a bad job at it. "It was nice to meet you."

"You too." She holds out her arms. "Bring it in?"

Will hugs her and Steve watches Robin duck her head, whispering something in Will's ear. Will's eyes widen for a moment until he _smiles_, like Christmas and his birthday and Hanukkah happened all at once.

He pulls back and he looks at her with such awe that Steve has to look away, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Okay, well, yeah. Good luck, Will. I just - I need a second before I say goodbye to El," Robin stumbles, looking up to the ceiling to fight back tears. She also can't stop smiling.

Will suddenly hugs him tightly. "Hey, I'll see you tomorrow," Steve says, but returns the hug anyway.

"Thank you," he says fiercely. "Thank you."

Steve nods even though Will can't see him. "Yeah," he says, bringing a hand to the back of his head. 

Will steps back at his eyes are a little red, but he looks so happy. "I'll see you in a second."

"Okay."

Steve turns to see that Robin is gone, but the front door is cracked open. She's standing with her hands on her hips, her face tilted toward the sky and she's breathing heavily, but evenly.

"Told you it's easier to get air into the lungs that way," he points out.

"I can't believe I did that," she gasps, smiling. "Did you see his face?"

"I did."

"He was..._so_ fucking happy. _So_ happy to find someone else like him. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I'm so fucking happy too. I'm really not alone. I objectively knew that, of course, but I _know_ someone now. I actually know another person like me. It's not some distant theory, it's _real_." She laughs and then exhales, bringing a hand to her forehead. "Wow."

He's so happy too. He gives her a few moments to soak it in before he reminds her that there's one more kid to say goodbye to, which earns him a playful whack in the arm.

Steve doesn't know what Robin says to El exactly, but there's a camaraderie there that maybe could've become something really nice if El wasn't moving. 

He doesn't stay for long after Robin leaves. Just long enough to watch them play some D&D and he thinks maybe he's beginning to understand it a little.

**

Steve was going to head home, but he finds himself driving towards the Byers' house.

There's a moving truck already parked and it's half filled with boxes. When he gets out of his car, Jonathan is walking out of the front door carrying a box that says ‘JONATHAN'S ROOM' on it.

Jonthan only stumbles for a moment when he recognizes Steve before finishing his trip to the truck.

"Hey," Steve says, putting his hands into his pockets. "Just wanted to see if I could catch you. Say goodbye."

Jonathan purses his mouth and nods.

"Crazy, right? How everything changed."

"Yeah."

Steve sighs. "Well, bye, Jonathan. Good luck." He holds out his hand.

"I'm sorry," Jonathan says suddenly. "For what I said at your house."

Steve drops his hand. "Oh, uh, thanks?"

"I was jealous and upset."

Steve snorts. "Dude, come on, I know I don't -"

"I know Will told you first. About, you know."

Steve gapes a little. "Wh...I don't know what you're -"

"I know he told you first," Jonathan repeats, his face more serious than it usually is.

Steve shuts his mouth and blinks a few times. "How do you know? Did he tell you?"

Jonathan crosses his arms against his chest. "When he was trying to tell me, he was saying things that I just know came from you. You have this way of stating things so simply that I know Will can't do. Not when he's anxious and flying by the seat of his pants. I knew he was quoting you - _it is what it is, like having brown hair or brown eyes_." Jonathan shrugs. "I was jealous of you. That he chose to tell you first before me. I was upset that he didn't feel safe to tell me before telling you. It was unfair of me."

Steve smiles. "It's funny. I was upset when he told me that I was basically a test-run for you."

"We should probably get our heads out of our asses, huh?" Jonathan says with a self-deprecating smile.

"Definitely," Steve agrees.

"Thanks, y'know, for everything. For jumping into this monster shit, for including me in school, even with Nancy, and for watching the kids - just." Jonathan suddenly snorts. "I finally get why people thought you were awesome. You really are." He shrugs.

Steve chews on his bottom lip. "Come on, bring it in," he says, stepping forward for a hug.

It takes Jonathan a solid two seconds to actually return the hug and he only does it for a few seconds before pointedly pulling away with an embarrassed huff of laughter.

"I'll see you," Steve says. That's a little easier than goodbye.

Jonathan nods, throws up a hand and heads back inside the house. Steve smiles and shakes his head as he walks to his car.

**

The day before the move, there's a knock on his door and he's surprised to find El standing there. He checks behind her and the rest of the party is on the street on their bikes and skateboard, waiting.

"Hi," he says with a furrowed brow.

"Came to say goodbye," she tells him softly.

"Oh, okay. Well, you'll be missed."

"Really?"

He smiles. "Yeah, I think you're badass. And you put those little shits in their place."

She smiles back. "Thank you. For everything."

He brings her into a hug. When he pulls back, she tugs his shirt to make him lean down a little. She says in his ear, "I think Kali likes you."

He smiles sadly. "Maybe."

She steps back to stare at him. "You like her."

"Yeah, but, she'll be gone. And I'll be here. It's easier when nothing has happened."

She furrows her brow. "Is it?"

"You tell me." He glances back to where the rest of the group is - where Mike is talking to Dustin.

"It hurts a lot," she admits. "But we've done it before. This will be easier. Being able to write."

"Yeah. That's true."

"Friends don't lie," she states.

This is one of those things that happened in the beginning, something he's only heard secondhand from Dustin. It's significant to them - that simple statement that will only get more complicated the older they get. 

"Friends don't lie," he repeats.

"Kali is your friend. Don't lie."

He laughs suddenly. "Touché."

"What does that mean?"

"It means...I recognize that what you said is a good point."

She smiles with pride.

"See you later, kid."

"Bye, Steve." 

She rushes down the path and Will takes that as his cue to walk up.

"I like that you're taking turns," Steve points out.

"Shut up. We have a full day planned," Will says with a sniffle.

"Sorry, I'm trying to joke because this is really depressing."

Will hugs him. "I can't thank you enough -"

"Yeah, you can. Please stop thanking me," Steve says with a laugh. "Just...I hope you find more people."

"Yeah."

"And remember: whatever you want to be - just don't also be an asshole, okay."

Will smiles. "Okay. I won't be an asshole."

"Good. Saved you a few years of potential angst. Boom."

Will shakes his head. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Yeah, right back at ya. But I'm sure I'll see you soon. Three day weekend? Thanksgiving?"

Will nods.

"We'll be here."

Steve waves at them goodbye and maybe gets a little choked up about it.

**

Kali cooks him enough leftovers to last him a week and a half.

"Don't get me wrong, this is...amazing. That word isn't even good enough - incredible? Anyway, I just - you didn't have to," he rambles, a little distracted by the smells.

She shrugs. "I just feel badly that you're never going to eat decent Indian food for the foreseeable future."

"...Damn. You're right. Keep cooking."

She elbows him with a smile. "Can you stir this while I knead the dough?"

"Yes I can."

He stirs, but his eyes are focused on her.

**

After they eat, they shower - she showers in his bathroom, he showers in his parents'. They meet in his room with towel-dried hair and she turns off the lights. She rests her head on his chest and his arm is around her, his hand resting on her waist.

He wonders how long he'll last having the stars on his ceiling after she leaves.

"Do you think we would've talked if I went to your school?" she asks. She sounds amused.

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Is it in a world where the monsters don't exist? And you just grew up in Hawkins? I don't know. I was really an asshole before all of it."

"I guarantee I wouldn't have purple hair if I grew up without the powers. I used to have braids and wear dresses. I was very well behaved."

"You could've had a rebellious phase. You know, you turn thirteen, you hate adults and the world."

"I like to think so," she laughs.

"I don't know if we would've talked, but I know without a doubt I would've found you interesting." He can imagine it - his attention wandering during a math class and his gaze inevitably landing on her, twirling a pen between her fingers, her hair shocking purple under the fluorescent lights.

"I'd call you out for staring."

"And I'd say you were staring right back."

"Maybe I'd corner you after school."

"Right after practice. You'd be done with detention for protesting the use of animals for dissecting."

"I'd make fun of your shorts."

"You'd like the shorts."

"Maybe a little bit."

He can imagine the rest too - maybe she'd kiss him, maybe he'd kiss her, maybe it would be at the same time. Sneaking around would be hot at first, but they'd both get tired of it. 

"I'm sure you would've grown up eventually. Without the existence of evil labs, powers, and monsters. Besides, I'm sure you weren't as bad as you think you were."

"I was kind of bad."

"Nancy wouldn't have dated you for a year if you were an asshole all the time. She doesn't seem to put up with much shit."

He shrugs. "Yeah, I guess…" he stops. "I guess I wasn't really happy since I wasn't being myself until this past year."

"So…"

"I would've played ball, but I wouldn't have made fun of the theater geeks. I would've taken Home Ec if I knew I was going to be left alone more often than not. It would've been nice to be able to hang out with anyone from any group."

She hums in thought. "I can see that."

"You would've hung out with punks, obviously. And it will take a lot of nagging to get you to come to a basketball game."

"You'd owe me."

"Better basketball than football - basketball is a fast game, at least."

"Okay, fine. But I won't know the rules."

"You'll learn them. You'll probably pick up the game so quickly that you'll know more than most people."

"What are the rules?"

He explains the game - it's not as complicated as football and there aren't as many positions to keep in mind. He tells her about the points and basic violations like traveling, the five-second rule, and basket interference. She doesn't interject much, so he does a decent job explaining the game.

"It's too bad I didn't get to see you play."

"Yeah, too bad."

He figures that trying to connect to her past, her culture, is heartbreaking in its own way - it highlights how bad the loss really was. But she's taking it back - she's thinking of picking Hindi back up, but she doesn't have anyone to speak it with. She thinks she wants to stop hunting, but there's nothing else she can do - how does one settle down? What does she even want?

"Hopefully we'll figure it out," he says sleepily. 

He doesn't want to fall asleep - like a child trying to delay the end of a weekend - but he does.

**

He wakes up with his heart in his throat, the sun streaming through his window. She's already up and ready - dressed, kohl around her eyes - sitting at the edge of his bed. He wets his bottom lip to say something, but the words get lost somewhere. She slowly reaches out to him, curling a piece of hair behind his ear before leaning forward. He meets her part of the way, pressing his lips against hers in a brief kiss that _wakes_ him. She lingers with her forehead resting on his.

She opens her mouth - maybe to say goodbye - but she closes it too, pulls away. By the time she leaves, it's almost as if he imagined it.

**

He doesn't linger in his room - he quickly gets dressed to run and thinks he sprints for most of it. Then he showers, makes sure his hair is perfect, he dresses for the interview that Robin had scheduled, and picks her up.

She, thankfully, doesn't ask about it and instead asks him about his resume, which he is happy to have her criticize. Although maybe putting his mom as a reference is a bit of a stretch. But who cares! They have jobs and they're going to work together and it's going to be _great._

When they get back in the car, Robin asks, "Kali left?"

"This morning."

"How'd it go?"

"She kissed me and left. We didn't even say anything."

She sighs. "I'm sorry, Steve."

"Yeah, me too."

She doesn't say anything when he takes the long way back to her house, just to see that the Byers really left.

"We really need to expand your taste in movies," she says to him when he turns into her driveway. "You have nothing to do right now, so you're going to come inside and watch a few movies."

He has no desire to think about the party being devastated and himself feeling abandoned, so he agrees. Even though it tests his attention span to watch _Rosemary's Baby_ ("Remember, Roman Polanski is known as a great director, but he's a piece of shit for raping a girl," she tells him at least twice) and _The Sting_ ("Paul Newman - him maybe, would be an exception," Steve says at one point, which Robin nods in agreement with). 

There is a plan to watch Robin's favorite movies she listed earlier and she thinks he'll probably love _The Godfather_ like every other straight guy ("I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse?" Steve guesses, which makes Robin shake her head). 

While they're debating on what to watch from the Buckley's collection, Robin's radio goes off. 

"Shit, I left mine in the car," Steve says.

"_Robin, this is Dustin, are you with Steve this is URGENT, over!_"

"Yeah...I'm with Steve. What's up? Over."

"_Kali is at your house - I REPEAT: KALI IS AT YOUR HOUSE._"

Robin looks at Steve with wide eyes, the corners of her mouth twitching up. He takes the walkie talkie from her. "If you're lying -" he starts.

"_I swear to God, on my dad's grave -_"

"_Dustin!_" Steve hears Dustin's mom exclaim.

"_Mom, tell Steve what you saw in his driveway!_'

"_Oh, well, hello Steve, dear - I saw this rather ugly van parked in your driveway, I'm assuming it's your friend? Oh! Uh, over._"

"_See?_' Dustin says. "_Kali is there!_"

Steve exhales slowly. "Okay, then. Over and out." Steve stands up and starts walking toward the door before realizing Robin is still sitting on the couch. "Aren't you coming?" he asks.

She laughs. "I'm not coming."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm _definitely _going to be unwanted when you realize she came back for you."

"What if she's not there?" he asks quietly.

"I don't think Dustin is in the habit of swearing on his dad's grave. Besides, he doesn't do cruel jokes." She smiles reassuringly. "Go."

He bites his bottom lip. "Okay, I'll...yeah."

He gets in his car and fucking _books it_.

**

Dustin wasn't lying. Her van is there.

And he's having difficulty moving beyond cutting off the engine.

Maybe she forgot something. That must be it. Her lucky shirt, a pair of earrings. She's not back for him, Robin is totally wrong. With that reassurance, he steps out of the car and walks toward the front door.

Kali opens it before he can even reach into his pocket for his keys.

They stare at each other for a second.

"Forgot something?" he asks, smiling weakly.

"No, I never forget anything."

He smiles wider at her blunt response.

"Did you get the job?"

He blinks. "Uh, yeah, thanks to Robin. We start Monday."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"Do you want to go somewhere?"

"Yes." He pauses. "Where?"

"I've always wondered what was along the east side of Lake Michigan. Apparently there's a city called Holland."

"We could pretend we're in Europe?"

"Exactly."

Far, far away from here.

"I'll be two minutes, then."

"Good."

They stare at each other for a second before she leans in, but he already has his hands on her face, pulling her close to kiss her. It's frantic and rushed, her hands sliding to his arm to his waist to grip him and he hasn't kissed anyone in a while; he's already breathless against her mouth, which tastes like a cherry slushie of all things. He smiles against her mouth.

"What's so funny?" she asks breathlessly, pulling back a little, their foreheads touching. 

"Cherry slushie?" he guesses.

"Yeah."

"I distinctly remember you saying you didn't care -"

"Shut _up_," she hisses, lunging for another kiss.

Eventually he remembers he has nosy neighbors and forces himself out of her hold to grab his shit. But before he goes, he calls Robin.

"_Buckley residence, Robin speaking._"

"I'm heading out of town. But I'll be at your house, Monday morning. I promise," Steve says quickly.

He hears her laugh. "_I expect _details_, Harrington._"

He flushes and laughs a little and stumbles to say something, but she beats him to it.

"_Have fun. And say hi to Kali for me! Oh, and don't worry, I'll tell Dustin and check on the house._"

"_‘_You're the best around, nothing's gonna ever keep you down,'" Steve blurts.

"_Of course you've seen _that _movie. Get off the phone, dingus! Bye!_"

She hangs up on him and he shakes his head in disbelief. But she's right - he needs to _go_.

**

He offers to drive her van since - wait, how long had she driven before coming back?

He asks her when they get on Route 421. They have a few miles to go on this before merging with I-94 toward Michigan, then it's just following signs towards Holland and Grand Rapids.

"Couple of hours," she says with a yawn. Her seat is back pretty far and she's staring over at him.

"I kind of feel dumb," he admits.

"Why?"

He shrugs. "I dunno. Like, we could've had more time?"

"We could've," she agrees. "But we'll have this."

He boldly reaches over to place his hand over hers on her thigh. She laces their fingers together and she turns away.

He smiles as he continues driving.

**

It takes them two tries to find a bed and breakfast that isn't packed, but they luck out with a last-minute cancellation.

She claims the use of the shower first, but leaves the door open a sliver. He hums Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" loudly to distract himself. He hears her laugh over the water.

"You can use the bathroom to fix your hair if you want," she calls out.

"Does my hair need fixing?"

"I don't know. Doesn't hurt to check."

He slowly pushes open the door and the shower curtain is fully closed and opaque, which sort of disappoints him, but he's mostly relieved. He automatically checks the mirror and his hair is _fine_.

"It's _fine_," he says, turning his head from side to side.

She pushes the curtain back enough to show her face. She's smiling. "So it is."

He takes a step toward her, reaching a hand to wipe the running kohl off her cheek. "You know," he starts conversationally, "shower sex isn't all its cracked up to be."

"I know," she agrees. "I didn't invite you in here for shower sex."

He flushes a little.

"You can sit down. Go through the things the woman who checked us in gave us so we have a plan for tomorrow."

"Sounds good." But he doesn't leave. He takes another step forward so he can kiss her. She opens her mouth to his tongue easily, a wet hand coming to grip his shirt and pull him closer, the shower curtain pressing between them. It's a heady thought, knowing she's just wet and smooth and warm and wearing nothing. 

"This is getting dangerous," he whispers, his voice rough. "We don't need to go to the ER because someone slipped on tile."

"Personal experience?" she questions.

"No," he lies.

(Yes - it was with Nancy and thankfully he just fell on his ass. It could've been worse.)

She pulls back a little, the corner of her mouth twitching in amusement. "No bruised bodies or egos then."

He sighs and shakes his head.

For his sanity, he gathers the shit about the city, how it takes pride in its Danish roots. He didn't know that Holland was obsessed with tulips, but they look nice, he guesses. It's got a lot of things to do, and randomly, a lot of churches.

"There are a lot of churches here," he points out when they're lying in bed in their pajamas.

"How many?"

"Over a _hundred_."

She grimaces. "That's not necessary."

"Good news," he suddenly starts gleefully. "_Largest pickle factory_. Heinz is here."

"Oh wow, what a thing to boast about," she says with obvious sarcasm.

"I think we should get pickles."

"You can enjoy your pickle."

He looks at her and wiggles his eyebrows, which makes her snort. "Well -" he starts, but can't get through the dirty joke he had in mind because she's laughing and he's laughing, both on the same page.

So it's natural for them to come together in the middle of the bed. He's interested in making her writhe against him and she seems determined to make his hair stand up in all different directions. He checks in when his hand runs under her shirt, and again when he reaches under her bra, and again when he slips it off her. She has no qualms reaching behind his back and pulling up his shirt with a desperation that makes him groan, roll his hips against hers. 

"Off," she exhales sharply.

Right, skin on skin is always better.

He sits back to pull it off and she follows him, handling him so she's in his lap. She swallows his gasp when her thigh presses against him. He likes kissing her throat, her collarbones, the valley of her breasts. He likes how she cradles his head and tangles her fingers in his hair. She rolls her hips in response when he kisses a nipple.

"Oh," she sighs.

His hands move from her waist to her hips and stop at her thighs. Her shorts are up her thighs and her skin is smooth. He wants to touch her, slip inside her, make her come over and over -

"Can I?" he asks out loud, against her lips, one of his hands slipping up her thigh, fingertips stopping just under the fabric of her shorts.

"Yeah," she says, "Just - easy."

He nods. "Okay, yeah."

Maybe they should've had that conversation - about experience. With Nancy it was obvious to both of them - he knew what he was doing and she didn't, only having a boyfriend in middle school and that was for a whopping three weeks.

He assumes Kali has some experience, but either not much, or it's been a long time, so he telegraphs his moves, his hand moving to the band of her shorts, moving slowly below and groaning when he realizes she's not wearing underwear.

She's warm and wet and he runs a finger around her, pressing at her clit. Her moans make him dizzy. He slips one finger into her slowly and yeah, she's tight, so he waits for her to adjust, moving her hips, urging him to move. It's slow and he wants to have enough wits about him to know when more is good, but he's so hard and he can't seem to think beyond wanting more of those sounds, so he adds another finger, her hips arching to match him. When he curls them inside her, she gasps his name.

She comes around his fingers and he's honestly surprised he hasn't come too.

He rests against her chest when she finally comes down from her orgasm. Her hands that were gripping his hair fall to his shoulders.

"Well," she exhales with a laugh. "Thank you."

He snorts. "Really? You're thanking me?"

"It was a nice orgasm."

"That was some great work of mine and you're calling it ‘nice'?"

He slowly pulls his fingers out of her and she winces.

"Sorry," he says. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just...it's been a while."

He brings his fingers to his mouth and her eyes darken. 

"Oh," she breathes.

His dick twitches in his shorts and he's tempted to stick his hand down his pants, but she seems to be on his train of thought because she asks, "Can I?" her hand already moving down his abdomen, to his shorts and slipping inside to touch him. 

He only lasts for a few strokes before he comes, muffling his groan against her shoulder.

"Less work for me," she points out, which makes him laugh out loud.

He showers quickly and rinses off his shorts, changing into a pair of underwear and his shirt and leaving it at that.

"I gotta ask," he says once they're in bed and have shut off the lights.

"Yes, I've had sex."

He blinks a few times. "Not...recently?" he ventures.

He hears her sigh in the dark. 

"I wanted to get it over with. So I got a little drunk, went to a bar, and found someone that was close to my age and cute enough. I was sixteen. It wasn't great," she shares. "I tried again last year when I was living in Chicago. It was okay. Then I just figured it wasn't worth it stopped." She rolls over to her side to face him and pats over his chest, where his heart is. "Congratulations, Steve Harrington, you made me interested again."

He places his hand on top of hers. "Same here, Kali Prasad."

**

They wake up early (and maybe make out a little) and go out for breakfast. It's a funny coincidence that Kali loves waffles like El does. He steals a bite and she makes fun of what the locals call a hashbrown omelette, which he can honestly say is now his favorite food in the entire world. She steals more than a few bites of it, but he makes sure to pick out the ham for her.

Unfortunately, tulips are apparently only in bloom in April or May, so they've missed their annual festival. But they still check out the town which really looks like someone took an old Dutch town and randomly dropped it in the middle of the midwest.

He splurges a little and buys a Polaroid camera because nobody will believe this shit if he told them and he also wants a picture of Kali. Or two. Or five. (He's in some of them too, he's not a total weirdo.)

((And she's definitely snuck pictures of him, he's willing to bet on it.))

People assume they're just a normal couple on vacation. He likes pretending that they're highschool sweethearts that may have a chance of going the distance.

"What do you think," Steve starts, staring at the racks of Dutch dresses. "Would make Max hate me the most - this pink one, or this yellow one with all the flowers?"

"You're not actually getting a dress for her," she says dismissively.

"No, I just want to take a picture and tell her I ordered her one and to expect it by her birthday."

She slowly smiles. "You're an ass."

"In a hilarious way." He finds an employee. "Excuse me, would it be alright if I took a picture of two of these dresses? I have a friend that I know would really like to see them."

"Oh, thank you so much for asking - of course!"

She gives him shit for it, but this is how parents love him and he can get away with a lot of things by turning up the charm.

He does get the kids actual souvenirs - mostly Dutch toys and what they call a ‘delft blue' ornament for Mrs. Henderson. She buys a shirt for herself, stating practicality of travel. He buys her a wooden tulip since he figured she'd like the practicality of a flower that doesn't ever die.

"We're making this a lot harder for ourselves," she says in between breaths after they went back to their room to shower and change and she surprised him by pressing him against the closed door and sliding down to her knees.

He's slipped down to the floor after coming, skin buzzing with a hand on her thigh. "Definitely," he agrees. 

They grab dinner on the lake and she uses her powers to fudge his driver's license and his library card to trick the waiter into thinking they're twenty-two. They drink locally-brewed beers and eat whatever the waiter recommends.

He likes how much she's smiling by the time they go back to their room. He wants to be inside her badly, but she's a little tipsy and if he's lucky enough, he would like for both of them to be totally sober when they have sex.

So he makes do with his mouth between her legs, which she's never experienced before, but judging by her shaky breaths and the way she grips his hand on her hip, her choked gasp when his mouth sucks on her clit as he thrusts his fingers deeper, harder inside her - she likes it.

He never understood why guys avoided doing this - it's like, the best thing ever to do. 

Oh, right. Sexism. 

"Do not let this get to your head," she says a full minute afterwards. "But...wow."

He lets it get to his head.

But she also clearly enjoys the fact that he came in his pants, so they're even.

**

The beach is really nice and because he doesn't have kids to watch out for with reapplying sunblock, he forgets to reapply enough that when he gets back to the room and showers, his shoulders, his nose, and his cheekbones are pink. Kali of course is perfect.

"The prejudice sucks, but at least I don't burn in the sun," she says, but so nicely rubs aloe vera on his shoulders.

An elderly couple offer to take a picture of them and Kali graciously asks for two pictures since they'll be long distance for a while.

"Oh, that must be difficult," the old man says with a frown as his wife readies herself for the second picture.

"We'll be okay," Kali says, so sure that he can't help but look at her, even when the picture is taken.

**

Sex is, well. Intense. In a way that's new and scary for him, so he's a little in over his head the way that she is, but. It's good. It's really, really good and is it too soon? He absentmindedly runs a finger on her back behind her shoulder as she sleeps, eventually writing her name, his, _I love -_ until he stops himself short.

They really did make it fucking impossible for themselves.

**

He drives back to Hawkins. He's tempted a few times to make a wrong turn at a junction and head west, but. He has to go back, he knows he does.

He wants to ask when they'll see each other again - put each other in their calendars the way that his mom does when she's talking with friends from college who live far away. But he's nervous about asking such a thing.

Kali is dividing the pictures. Every once in a while she'll show him two and ask which one he wanted. Sometimes she listened to him, sometimes she didn't.

"Then why did you ask for my choice?" he asks with a laugh after the third time he picked one and she decided she wanted it.

"It helps to decision making process," she says. "Besides, if you're still broken up about the choices made, then we'll just have to swap later."

He smiles a little giddily at that.

**

It's a little after lunch-time when they're back at his house. He convinces her to take a container of leftovers just in case. They double-check his room to make sure she didn't leave anything behind and having her in his bed is a lot better than he imagined, but it hurts too. A lot.

He kisses her and is so embarrassed when he can't stop tears from leaking out of his eyes. She wipes them away without judgment and says something to him in Hindi, probably. It sounds nice to his ears, especially since he thinks he knows what it might mean.

"You too," he says, pressing his forehead to hers.

He watches her drive away from his front door and he stands there a little longer after she's gone. She guessed she may make it to California in a few days, but she didn't promise she'd call him or anything. He hopes she will.

In the meantime, he reheats leftovers she made, gets a little choked up while eating. He searches through his parents' tapes and finds Elton John's _Too Low for Zero_ album. He remembers scoffing when it first came out, figuring that Elton was for old people, or that only the stuff he came out in the ‘70s was worth listening to. But he gives it shot now.

It's okay, but he might get a little too into "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues," which he had forgotten existed. 

He considers calling Robin, but he figures she believed him when he promised he'd pick her up tomorrow morning. Besides, he's not really ready to talk about it.

**

When he picks up Robin, she has a large smile on her face that promptly falls when she looks at him.

"It was good," he tells her before she can ask. "I just don't want to talk about it yet."

"Okay." She puts on her seatbelt. "I hope the uniform isn't ugly this time."

Thankfully, it's just an ugly green vest with the video store logo on the corner. Anything would've been better than that stupid sailor outfit. 

Steve learns how to use the register and Robin is taught more about the layout of the store since she'll be the one providing recommendations.

"I'll get him up to speed," Robin promises Keith when she thinks Steve can't hear her.

Steve makes a face when he organizes the snacks by the register.

It's an easy day for the most part - a lot of people returning movies from the weekend, which they have to rewind in the back of the store and put back on the shelves. Perfectly mindless.

"Okay, you can't look because I want you to see this," Robin orders as she puts in the tape for _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_. And _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_. And _Young Frankenstein_. And -

"Okay, you know what, you handle that and I'll just head back out there," he tells her with a pat to her shoulder.

"So many movies to watch," she mutters to herself. "It's going to be another part-time job."

He rolls his eyes as he shuts the door behind him.

**

Dustin comes by with him mom in the early evening. He grins happily, proud that he got the job and Dustin at least manages to wait five minutes before asking about Kali.

"We went to Michigan for a couple of days. I got you something. I'll bring it to your house tomorrow," Steve tells him.

"Wow! Was it romantic? Fun? Awesome? All of the above."

He smiles for the first time today. "Yeah. All of the above."

"It sucks, the distance, but we'll get by, right?"

"Absolutely," Steve says, more for Dustin's sake.

They close the store at eight, but they don't leave until almost nine because they had to learn how to close the store. Keith will be the keeper of the keys until they're deemed trustworthy enough.

The next few days are reassuringly similar. Robin starts talking about her classes, complaining about the number of books she has to buy or take out of the library. He helps her carry her books to his car.

He checks the messages on the answering machine and tries not to be hopeful.

Their first Friday night is a bit crazy, but he's become a whiz at ringing people up, so he gets customers moving, even though some try to flirt with him. He's exhausted by the time they stumble out of the store and they go to the diner, scarfing down burgers and fries before he drops her off at her house with plans to watch _Children of Paradise_.

(He read the back of that movie - he knows it's some sappy romance movie and it's her obvious plan to get him to talk about the other weekend. It's okay, though. He'll tell her.)

He plays the messages out of habit as he gets himself a glass of water, which he nearly drops when he hears, "_Hi, Steve. Made it to California today. I forgot you started your job and the time difference. I'm at a payphone, so._" He hears her exhale. "_I sent you a postcard. You should get it eventually. Sorry that I don't have a phone - maybe when I find something more permanent. But in the meantime…_" she sighs. "_I miss you._" 

He takes out the tape and keeps it for himself.

**

He tells Robin about it, finally. She hugs him, he cries a little bit. So does she - she's clearly a sucker for romance.

Afterwards, he drives to Nancy's house and he checks up on her. She seems to be doing okay, getting ready for her senior year. She's spoken to Jonathan a couple of times already - they've started school already and they all seem to be settling in.

"Will tried out for their swim team. He's made JV," she tells him with a knowing smile.

"Good for him."

El seems to be sticking with Will, still overwhelmed with new people. Hopefully she'll find friends. Jonathan is, well. Jonathan. He keeps to himself since seniors aren't interested in befriending anyone new, but he did manage to get himself on the yearbook committee at least.

"We're figuring it out, but Columbus Day weekend, we're going to plan something. They might come here - it's easier."

He nods.

"What about Kali?" she asks directly, meeting his gaze head on.

He smiles. "We're keeping in touch. We'll see what happens. She seems...pretty confident it'll be okay."

Her eyes light up with understanding.

**

When the postcard finally arrives, it's a beautiful picture of the water with ‘Welcome to Big Sur!' in the corner. On this back is an address. He puts it on his wall.

The phone rings and he answers it with, "Harrington residence, Steve speaking."

"_Hi._"

He grins. "Hey. Good timing. Just got in, got your postcard. Hawkins isn't Big Sur, but we have new postcards now in commemoration of all the conspiracy theories that are attracting tourism."

"_Can't wait for it. How's the job?_"

"Keith - the manager, he went to high school with us - literally hates my guts. Robin is trying to expand my movie knowledge."

"_Hard to pay attention?_"

"She made me watch some three hour French romance movie that took place during World War II. It was a real test of my patience."

He hears her laugh on the other end. "_So sorry._"

"How are you doing?"

He waits patiently while she adds more coins. "_Alright. Tired from the driving. I'll start looking for a job tomorrow. Maybe a bookshop this time. Or a library._"

He can see that. He can also see himself visiting her while she's working, maybe make out against a bookshelf.

Maybe he'll talk with Robin about a road trip. Maybe they'll love it enough to want to stay. Or maybe there's a place out there that they don't even know yet that'll take them all. That's nice to think about.

"Oh, I have to tell you about El and the Byers," he says, sitting down. "You've got time?"

"_I have a bag of quarters, I'm ready._"

He dives right in.


End file.
